Neptunia: HyperFirewall
by Always Wanting Moar
Summary: Uh oh, it's another adventure starring an OC in a protagonist role as he stumbles through Gamindustri! Thrill as he tries to get along with the characters of the franchise! Chill as he makes a fool of himself! What action awaits our heroines? What heresy awaits us readers? Will there be love? Is there an actual point? All of these questions MIGHT be answered! Or not. Hard to tell.
1. Prologue: Death of an OC

There is no opening narration. No fancy title screen with a voice-over exclaiming the title. No surprise intro fight.

Oh, no, we are out there, in the skies above the world of Gamindustri, looking down on the nations of the four goddesses. It truly is a site to behold, looking from so high, as though we are looking through the perspective of one of the flying goddesses.

However, it was not from one of their perspectives. No, this was from the perspective of an airship, a rarity in the skies, but not unfamiliar, as technology has advanced far enough that the nations are thinking about using more air travel.

One man was standing, outside, on the deck of the airship, enjoying the view. He is a young, lithe man, with a decent tan on his skin, showing he's definitely been outdoors more often than not. He has short, blonde hair that parts on the right side. His eyes are a vibrant emerald color, though they are small. He is dressed in a dark purple hoodie, a pair of grey pants, and a pair of black and blue sneakers. He blinked, shifting his hands into his hoodie's pockets, taking it all in.

This man is not an NPC. No. This man... is a protagonist.

May the goddesses have mercy on us all.

May they also have mercy on me.

The man, taking an eternity to actually move from where he's standing, noticed a few trails in the sky in the far-off distance. He raised an eyebrow at the sight, pondering what, or most likely who, those trails belong to. He stopped, as if to think, _wait, do CPUs leave trails when they fly?_

Not that it mattered, in any case, since he soon glanced up to see a strange sight forming above the skies, as though a hole was growing in the atmosphere for all to see. However, instead of the vaccuum of space, a red-orange glow encapsulated the sky above. The 'hole' disappeared soon after; however, the glow does not quite vanish, as electric sparks and bolts went across the blue sky. The glow eventually faded, but the sky formed a small tinge of the red-orange shade, and the electricity only intensified.

The man watching this took his hands out of his pockets and went a step back, a worrying expression growing across his face. Just as he was starting to take some more steps back, hopefully to the door that he exited from, the electricity crackled, and bolts shot down from the hostile sky. The airship, lucky the first few bolts did not strike, was not as lucky when a bolt shot through one of its engines. The engine stalled, and the airship began tilting over to one side before another bolt hits the other side, causing the whole airship to shake.

The shaking was enough to send the man reeling, desperately grabbing to any railing, any ridge, any crease, to keep his balance. Failing that, he scrambled in a vain attempt to grab for the exit, but was unable to hold on. With the airship still tilting to one side, the man slowly but surely slid down the deck, and he soon felt his legs dangling in the air, then his torso, then his arms. Grasping at the edge of the ship, the man, frightened out of his mind, could only stare blankly as his grip slipped away.

The airship was already starting to head downwards as the man fell, but the two were falling in separate directions. The man could only torque his body just a little, to decide how he would, unfortunately, meet his end at the bottom. As he fell, spreading his arms and legs as though he were skydiving, only without the parachute, he turned his head to see the sky seeming to fall around him. That was not quite happening, though, as he could still somehow see _through_ the sky, if that made any sense. Honestly, though, when you're falling to your death, thinking through some of the mysteries around you might not be high on your priorities.

The man could see the nation of Planeptune getting closer and closer to him. Bracing himself for the fall, could not keep up himself conscious for long, as his life flashed before him, and his vision went quickly to white, and then faded to black.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this quick little fanfic. I call it "Death of an OC" and it was my first effort here. I do hope you give this a fair review, and be sure to follow me here. If I am lucky enough, I may able to get an audio book release of this some time in the never-happening.

Hmm? Oh, okay, well, in fairness, this is not truly the end of this tale. Although if you wish it to be your canon ending, that is perfectly fine. Imagination and all that, am I right? Still, there is more to this story than this initial bit, and yes, that man, who has a name, is still a protagonist in this. The story will unfold in due time, I assure you.

So, join me, will you? Do not fret, I will not do this kind of narration for long. There is already a character in this series who will be breaking your immersion just as easily. However, for now, let the opening play out.

What, no introduction music? Bloody heck...


	2. ACT I: The Firewall Drops

**ACT I: THE FIREWALL DROPS, THE CURTAIN RISES**

* * *

The small emerald eyes of the man that fell off that airship slowly opened, to a rather bleak and dark room. He could feel that his body was laying down on a mattress of some sort, but soon the realization hit him that he should not be feeling, well, anything. He slowly moved his upper body up, his eyes darting around his surroundings. He could see a closed window, a far-off door, a cabinet, and a couple of bookshelves. This wasn't a room he was familiar with, but he could make it out to be a bedroom of some kind. A guest room, perhaps?

The man pinched his left arm, to check if he's not dreaming. No, he was still awake. Alive, maybe? He could still hear his breathing fine. He could still hear his heart beating all right. By all accounts, he was actually alive, somehow.

"Oh!" A voice echoed through the seemingly empty room, "It seems you have finally woken up. How long have you been up for? Are you feeling alright?"

The man tried to find the source of the voice, but it was hard to locate with the echo. The voice definitely sounded female to the man. "Just a few seconds ago," the man responded in a quiet baritone, "And I think I am feeling... alright? Although I am not sure how that can be possible. Where am I?"

"Oh, right, I do believe you need some answers," the voice remarked, "although I have heard of people with a history of falling and surviving within Gamindustri. I do apologize, but I need to make sure you are well before I can give you your answers."

 _Do I have a choice?_ The man's face was easy to read, even for a disembodied voice echoing through the room. However, the man simply kept quiet, choosing to nod slowly.

"Can you remember who you are? Your name, for instance? Your occupation? I am asking because I can never be sure if I am dealing with an amnesiac." The man arched an eyebrow for a moment, but then sighed after the voice asked her question.

"Well, I'm... my name is Thomas," he finally answered, "And well, I guess you can say I am a glorified bureaucrat." He shook his head, "I mean, I used to do some work at Planeptune's Basilicom. I do a couple of other things now, trying to take it easy at this point but - really, I guess my work is still defined as paper-pushing."

"Planeptune," the voice spoke, though it sounded a little softer, "then you know of the goddesses, correct?"

"I mean, sure, who doesn't?" Thomas said matter-of-factly, before interjecting, "I am sorry, but... who am I speaking to? Is this some sort of interrogation? If so, you are not going to find anything that interesting from me. I am kind of boring."

"Oh, no, no, no," the voice defended itself, "It is not like that. I just... it has been a long time since I met with someone. I was taking a long slumber before recently. You see, I am... no longer. I am what was."

Thomas paused, giving her a moment to speak, but nothing came. He spoke up, "Uh... a spirit? Oh. Am I -"

"No no, you are quite alive as you can gather," the voice quickly came back, "But I had to use a lot of what I have left to make sure you're alive. However, there is another reason you are here, and why I woke up."

The man stood up from the bed and now made his way to the center of the room, still adjusting his eyes to the darkness of the room, "Was it because of whatever happened to the sky?"

"Correct. I felt it as it came down upon all of Gamindustri. I remember reading something about this, long ago. A firewall."

"Firewall?" Thomas repeated the last word, unsure of what this exactly meant, or how it applied to what was happening.

"Look outside through that window," the voice said as Thomas was already on his way there.

Opening the window, Thomas' eyes widened at the sight. Looking outside, he got a good look of the surrounding area. However, Thomas found what was happening even more strange. Walls of - the sky? - no, it's as if there has been gigantic force fields dropped from the sky. He could see through these fields, but electricity continued to spark occasionally along these sections.

"I do not understand how this has happened, but as you can see, the world is being divided and isolated. Monsters, humans, even the faith that converts into share energy cannot pass through these barriers. If nothing is done, I do not know how Gamindustri can continue in this state, or if things will get worse."

"I see," Thomas said softly, then looked around the room again, closing the window behind him, "And while I definitely appreciate being rescued from certain demise - believe me, I am grateful - I am not sure how I fit into this picture. This grand scope of a crisis seems like something that is best handled by someone more qualified. Should you not be trying to contact the goddesses?" He glanced back at the window, "Or maybe a good technician?"

The voice paused, seeming in thought, before speaking again, "There was very little time in the period when I woke up, and the firewall began its descent. As it was happening, I sensed there was someone falling from the sky and rushed to save him. Also, because of the firewall, and the drain of what little power I have left, I cannot contact the goddesses, though I have tried. I fear they may either be isolated in other parts of this fragmented world, or, if they are here, have no share energy to speak of currently."

"You keep saying share energy," Thomas said, "I am assuming you mean the faith that powers the CPUs? That help them transform. I take it there isn't much faith here because this is an isolated space?" He then spoke up, "We're in LAN Castle, are we not?"

"Uh, yes," the voice said in a bit of surprise, "You are familiar with this place?"

"I know of it," he said with a polite shrug, "first time dropping in, though." He then cleared his throat, and reached a hand behind to scratch the back of his neck, trying to play it cool, but it was clear he was not capable of doing that smoothly, "So, what is it that you wish for me to do?"

"I apologize, but I must ask you to go and find the goddesses for me," the voice continued, "Once you do, please, allow them to follow the instructions in this." From one of the bookshelves, a small tome was slowly pulled from its place, and dropped to the floor. Although it was dusty, crashing with a thud and spreading some dust, it still appeared to be in decent shape. Thomas walked over, and took a quick look at the cover, before examining inside.

As he read, the voice continued on, "Though the firewall is difficult to get through normally, it is possible to break through it, with the power of share energy, and the goddesses who wield them. I do know there is at least one CPU out around here, but I cannot find nor contact her. Once you find her, show her this, and try to break through these walls. Until these walls come down, it will be difficult to find the cause of all of this."

Thomas got a few more looks into the tome, before closing it, and putting it in his massive inventory, which was a natural thing to have as a person living in Gamindustri. "I think I have an idea of what to do, then, if this will help. I will do what I can, as it is the least I can do to repay my debt to you."

"Please, do not think of it as such," the voice protested, "the world is likely in great danger. Surely, you must know that is the case we are facing."

Thomas sighed softly, then said, "Er, sorry. Um, I guess I have a little bit of a confidence problem. I will fix it, on my way to finding the goddesses."

"Very well. One more thing," the voice said as Thomas made his way closer to the door, "The changes in this world will undoubtedly cause many monsters to become more agitated. You may need to find a way to defend yourself in case-"

"I would rather not," Thomas said bluntly, "I... I do not wish to fight."

"You do not need to, but it may be wise to at least have something to assist you in dealing with any monsters in the way," the voice tried to sound consoling, not wishing to pry on Thomas' sudden stubbornness, "There is a weapon in the closet. It is a basic melee weapon. At the very least, please take it with you."

Thomas closed his eyes, turning towards the closet, and opening it. Reopening his eyes, he grimaced, and reached over for the weapon to put in his inventory, "Ah... a wooden stick."

"I apologize, though I will tell you that the goddess of Planeptune used to wield a wooden sword at first. Please make the most of what you have," the voice added, though the conversation felt a little awkward now, for the both of them.

Thomas reached for the exit door, but stopped, trying to end the discussion another way, "Tell me. I mean, who am I to thank for this second chance? If that is not too much to ask a sleeping spirit."

Thomas waited a moment. All he could hear was the silence in the room. Giving up on the question, he bowed his head, opening the door and moving a foot out, he readied himself to leave this castle and begin this quest.

"Uranus," the voice finally spoke a single word, stopping the man on the way out.

Thomas halted, tilting his head to one side and giving a small smile, "Uranus. The former goddess of Planeptune, huh? Another goddess to thank, it seems."

Another pause, but this time Thomas spoke up once more, "Thank you, goddess." He finished before resuming his departure.

FInally, LAN Castle was empty of its human guest. One small, final echo went through the castle halls.

"Good luck, Thomas."

* * *

Outside, Thomas looked around from the front of the castle, and could see a small dirt path leading south. He decided to head this way, on the reason that it was an actual path, and, hopefully, will lead to a village. He did not want to venture out alone, and the sooner he got to a place to recruit an adventurer, or find a CPU hanging around, the better.

Although LAN Castle was haunted with more menacing monsters once upon a time, it had simmered down considerably in recent years, but no one was really willing to take the real estate to check to see if that was for good. Thomas made a mental note to talk about this to someone after all is done, but he really wasn't sure how he was going to explain any of this to a rational human being.

 _Uh oh,_ Thomas stopped and bolted behind a tree, looking down the dirt path to see little blue creatures roaming around, speaking the same word over and over to each other as they wiggle their furry ears which sit upon their gooey body.

 _Dogoos,_ Thomas thought to himself. _Well, she did tell me that monsters would be agitated._ _Thankfully they are the weakest of monsters around Gamindustri... and I don't have a problem taking out these annoying buggers. I'll just casually walk out from this tree, walking on the other side of the path, and hopefully they are the friendly kind that are not gonna-_

"Dogoo~!" One of the 'annoying buggers' bounced up and down excitedly, seeming to call out some other of its kind over to get a look at the human.

 _Oh come on, just shoo already! Shoo!_

"Dogoo-goo~!" The creature continued doing its bizarre language of one word repeated over and over, before looking rather angry, aiming to charge at Thomas.

"Oh for crying out loud," Thomas says as he reached in his inventory for the super powerful wooden stick, and equipped it just in time for his first battle with... a Dogoo.

The unfortunate thing about using a wooden stick against a creature that has some of the characteristics of a dog, is that the creature might take your attempt at intimidation as a sign you want to play fetch. Thomas had to deal with the consequences, as the Dogoo gleefully jumped at and chewed at his weapon.

"No! Bad Dogoo! No fetch!" Thomas wiggled the stick several times, shaking the Dogoo with it. Eventually the Dogoo was thrown off of the stick, landing on top of another one of its kin. Somehow, this does not phase either Dogoo, as the one that fell off just hopped off its pal, and jumped up and down excitedly once more, panting.

 _Why do they have to act so damn cute?_

Thomas decided it was probably better to just counter any Dogoo attacks, rather then shaking the stick in front of it. After all, he had better things to do then level up beating up Dogoos, even if, admittedly, he needed all the experience he could get.

A few counterattacks later, Thomas recovered some of the gel from the defeated Dogoos to put in his inventory. _Yay, I hit a Dogoo with a stick,_ Thomas dully thought to himself, _such a hero._ He shook his head at himself, before turning to continue down the path, just trying to sneak past any future mobs, Dogoo or not.

However, despite his intentions, he found himself facing more and more mobs of Dogoos along the way. He even encountered the occasional healing Dogoo, also known as that annoying bugger, now with tentacles. They also had a tendency to heal other creatures that may have taken a hit, and Thomas' stats were already pretty low that they would compare with a normal Villager in some other game at the same level.

On the one hand, as Thomas was defeating some Dogoos, he was learning what was best for take a combative stance whenever battle was on him. He was gaining experience, and it helped him get over his initial reluctance to fight. On the other hand, he started noticing the Dogoos were becoming more aggressive, as though they all clearly knew someone was in the area beating them up. None of them wanted to play fetch by the time Thomas reached the end of the faded dirt path, which led to a more developed road. Now they just wanted to hurt him. All while still being adorable and blurting out their species' name over and over.

Thomas was starting to feel some sweat on his head, and he stopped to try and wipe some of the sweat away from his eyes. Just as he was thinking about giving some appreciation for the adventurers who had to go on these monster hunting quests, his train of thought was derailed by the sound of those annoying buggers... and the ground shaking?

A gang of Dogoos gathered in front of Thomas on the road, confusing him for a moment before the ground shook again. Thomas' eyes bulged, and he leaped back a bit as he saw a Big Dogoo rolling in from a spot in the bushes nearby. _Crap._ Thomas readied the big stick of Dogoo doom but he was already starting to lose confidence, as the Big Dogoo turned around, staring its dotted eyes right at the slayer of Dogoos with a purpose. Its little Dogoo friends hopped up and down, egging on its big brother to teach this jerk a lesson.

 _I hope my agility stat is high, because I'm gonna need it soon._ Thomas' thoughts trailed off into a state of worry, planning to bail and hightail it the other way. Maybe if he can find get away and hide long enough, the Dogoos will forget about him and go back to whatever it was that they were doing.

Just before Thomas could try diplomacy that certainly would not backfire in the slightest, both Thomas and the group of Dogoos heard a high-pitched cry behind them, and turned their heads in that direction.

Although Thomas couldn't see the source of the yell, he could see the resulting chaos, as a few Dogoos flew from behind the trees. Whatever was happening, it wasn't looking too good for the Dogoos. After some of the Dogoos met their adorable end, Thomas could only look stunned as someone ran between him and the Big Dogoo.

"Alright Dogoos! I am in a really bad mood, and you just happen to be in the way!" The person, a woman with long red hair tied into twin tails, spoke loudly in the direction of the Dogoos, posing dramatically. However, Thomas had a strange feeling, as he raised an eyebrow, that she might be actually showing off a little. Still, he wasn't going to say no to this supposed rescuer. _Uh, she is here to help me, right?_ Thomas thought to himself.

The girl continued with her act, "Time to show you just how cool I can be!" She then turned her head a little to the puzzled man, speaking casually, "Hey there. Need a little help? Allow me to lend a hand!" The girl flashed a cocky smile as she waited for the answer.

"Uh, uh, okay," Thomas stammered out eventually, resuming his fighting stance as the two squared off against the Big Dogoo and its remaining Dogoo friends.

Thomas was already learning a few things as the fight was going on, aside from the fact that the battle was tilting quickly in their favor. The first thing was, for all the boasting, the girl was quite strong. He could tell as the Big Dogoo was reeling from each hit.

The second thing was that she had a bizarre fighting style, where on occasion she would bust out a megaphone to attack with her own voice. She would sometimes use her own fists, but it never seemed to bother her no matter where she was hitting. He didn't really understand how this was possible, exactly, but it seemed to work.

The last thing he learned, though it did not come as a surprise to him, was that he was feeling much more at ease with someone helping out. He always knew about the quests and how adventurers usually went in parties to take on practically any group of monsters. Only the goddesses and maybe a few of the top tier adventurers could solo without a sweat. The girl was clearly experienced, and this helped Thomas focus a little more on his part of the battle. Admittedly, the girl was doing most of the damage, but now he was not stressing over a possible life or death situation. Perhaps he was just thankful that he was not alone here.

"Yeah! That fight went really well, and I was just getting warmed up!" The girl stood triumphantly as the battle was won. The Big Dogoo vanished in defeat, leaving behind the usual monster loot, while the remaining Dogoos quickly retreated. Still having that cocky grin of hers, the woman cracked her knuckles and asked Thomas, "So, what did you think? Pretty cool of me, huh?"

Thomas, tending to a few of his wounds from the fight, blinked his eyes at the red-haired warrior, and was trying to think of something to say. "Th-th-thank you, miss adventurer! I am immensely grateful for your help!" He said this with a deep bow in gratitude.

The girl looked a little taken back by the bow, her cocky demeanor fading for a moment, "Y-y-you don't need to act so formal! I only did what anyone would do in that situation!"

Thomas wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he glanced down, looking back to his wounds. The girl composed herself once more and spoke, "Although, I guess I was a little worried about you, dealing with all those Dogoos alone. You didn't seem like the adventuring type, anyway, no offense. Are you alright, by the way? Did you get lost?"

"I, I have had better days," Thomas finished up on some item heals as he answered, "And I can't say that I was lost. More like I didn't have a choice where I was going. I merely wanted to get out of here."

"I kind of know what you're getting at," the girl looked over her shoulder towards the 'sky', really part of the firewall, "I was just having a nice stroll through these parts until all this started." She then murmured something under her breath, but Thomas could not hear anything other then the word "change."

She then looked around the place, trying to get a sense of where she was now, "Unfortunately, I don't remember these parts very well. Planeptune is awfully much bigger than I last remembered." She laughed a little to herself, before sighing.

Thomas pointed down the road, toward where he knew was southwest, "If you're looking for a place to stop for a while, there's a village further down that way. I was heading in that direction, trying to avoid the Dogoos but-"

"They didn't seem to avoid you there," the girl said, turning back to Thomas, "Lucky for you I happen to be close by, huh?"

"Uh, y-yes, that was a very, um, cool thing for you to do," Thomas said, cringing a little inside as the girl's eyes lit up at the praise. Although, truth be told, he was impressed by the girl's spirit and fighting. He just wouldn't call it 'cool' normally.

"I knew you'd think so!" the girl said, pumping her fist a little as though this admission was some sort of victory. "Say, you seem to at least know where you are going at least."

"I am familiar with Planeptune's geography, to some extent," Thomas said as he looked around, "Although, I think staying around here too long might not be a good idea."

"Oh! Right," the girl exclaimed, "We don't want to linger around in case those meanie Dogoos come back!" Thomas is a little perplexed a girl who seems transfixed on the word 'cool' would also use the word 'meanie.' The woman then coughed a little, "Ahem, anyway, it is probably best that we should stick together for the time being. At least until we reach this village you speak of."

"I was meaning to ask about that," Thomas sad, this time politely giving a nod of his head, instead of bowing, "I would be extremely grateful. I mean, I already am grateful," he said nervously, "I mean, I appreciate all the help you've done and -"

The girls laughed a little, "Okay, okay, I get it, no need to twist into a knot there. I'll help you out here, don't worry." She then put a hand to her chest, "By the way, since we'll be travelling together, how about some introductions? The name's Uzume Tennouboshi. It's good to meet ya!"

"Uzu-" Thomas tried to understand the entire name at first as she spoke it very fast, but eventually he got it, although it bit at the back of his mind for some reason, "Oh! Right, thank you so much, Uzume! My name is Thomas A-"

"Too-mass? Tho-mahs? Tho..." The girl interupted him before he finished, "Nah, I just can't call you that. Tell you what, I'm gonna call you Tomsy! How does that sound?" She once again flashed a grin, proud of her supposedly completely original nicknaming sense.

"A nickname? Already? Tomsy?" Thomas, for the first time this conversation, was rather taken back, "Usually people would call me Tom or Tommy or... but Tomsy?"

"I know, it's a really cool nickname!" Uzume exclaimed, though Thomas probably did not agree the term 'cool' would apply here, "Anyway, let's get going, Tomsy! I'll head the vanguard!" She says with a quick mock-salute before turning herself around and beginning her quick walk. Thomas, not really ready for Uzume's sudden burst of speed, yelled out, "Woah! Wait!" and then tried his very best to catch up.

It looked like he might be relying on his agility stat, after all.


	3. ACT I: The Key

"Slow down a little, will you?" Thomas protested as he caught up to the briskly walk of his rescuer Uzume Tennouboshi, "Seriously, how do you have so much stamina after a fight?"

"Oh?" Uzume seemed a little thrown off by the question as she finally decided to slow down a little so Thomas can keep up, "Oh, you know! The usual! Exercise, plenty of good rest, healthy foods like fish and chocolate. You should probably look into that, haha!"

"Um, chocolate?" Thomas was more hung up on that one word being associated with healthy.

"Sure, I always feel a little perky after a chocolate bar, don't you? Ooh, especially when they are different kinds of chocolate!" Uzume clasps her hands together, "Dark chocolates, white chocolates, milk chocolates. But the ones with the different kinds of chocolate with the little flavors in them are like totally so cool, y'know? Orange, mint, strawberry... they'll put, like, anything in there! That's so amazingly awesome, right?"

"Uhhh, sure," Thomas didn't want to argue with Uzume, nor paid any attention to Uzume's sudden change of tone, "I guess you have a bit of a sweet tooth, huh?"

"Sure do!" Uzume gleefully continued, "Any time I have one, it's almost like I'm living in a dream! A dream of delightful, delectable, deliciousness! I just love it when it's made fresh too! Just the process and everything about it just makes me wanna jump for, uhhhh..." There is an audible pause as Thomas just looked forward. Uzume eventually continued, though not as excited, "A-a-anyway, I like chocolate, so what of it?"

"Um, nothing wrong, really," Thomas said in a bit of confusion, glancing a little to see Uzume looking rather flustered for a second, though she quickly turned her head away. Thomas then shrugged, and looked back forward, hoping to find the village he's expecting in the distance to show up at some point.

"Ahem, right! B-by the way," Uzume changed the topic, away from her high stamina and sweet tooth, "What do you plan to do once you get to the village, anyway? Something you're looking for."

"Among other things, yeah," Thomas said while he was formulating thoughts, "Really, I just need a place to rest to compose my thoughts and figure out a plan. I'll probably check out the Guild, or ask around for some possible leads."

"Oh? Are you a detective or something?" Uzume asked, being rather curious.

"Not really. Although," Thomas said looking up once more, "I guess there is a case to solve."

"Yeah, I suppose there is," Uzume could only agree, as she seemed in thought as well.

Thomas stopped for a moment, turning his head to the side and looking more closely along the road they are traveling. Uzume paused a few steps ahead, looking puzzled at the man. It took a few seconds before Thomas continued on.

"Alright," Thomas said aloud for Uzume to hear, "I recognize these roads a bit more now. We're definitely on the Narita Roads, heading to Narita Village. It's not a very big place, since it only has a few buildings, but it should have some people we could speak to."

"I think I was passing there a long while back," Uzume responded, "At least now I know where I am, though you must have a map of Planeptune in your head, huh?"

Thomas could only "mhmm" in the positive, before pointing off in the distance, "And there it is, Narita Village, and - ah crap."

Uzume turned her head over to look at the far-off village, only to see one problem with it, "What is it? Oh! No, it's..."

"Behind the firewall. Great, we won't be able to pass through here, not unless we can break this wall down," Thomas stopped and rubbed a little of the sweat from his forehead.

"Firewall?" Uzume quizzically asked Thomas, before turning her head to the sky, "Is that what this thing is?"

"It's no use. We'll have to find another place to visit, but I don't know of any other village in this area. This is not good," Thomas looked frustrated, and kicked a little bit of the air with his left foot.

"O-o-okay! Well, how about we try and break it down ourselves! You saw how strong I am!" Uzume gets back into show-off mode, "I'll just give a good punch and that wall will just bust wide open!"

"Wait, no! Don't!" Thomas said in a panic, "That's not a good idea at all! That wall is basically like a giant electric fence!"

"How would you know that for sure?" Uzume spat back, "Why do you know so much about this firewall?"

"I, uh, I don't want to risk you getting hurt!" Thomas retorted, as he tries to check his inventory for that tome he read earlier. He remembered that it told of how dangerous it was to even touch the firewall, but until he had it out, he just wanted to stop Uzume from going.

"That's strange, because I risked my butt just to save your sorry ass," Uzume said as she got more heated, "Now you're suddenly hesitating?"

Thomas grew more irritated, but he knew if he were to verbally retort now, it wouldn't go very well. His face reddened, "Of course I am hesitating. Wouldn't you be worried in my shoes if someone who just rescued you might hurt herself just on the zero chance it would work?"

"I'd gladly do it myself!" Uzume had no problem answering that question as Thomas pulled the tome from his inventory, "My whole life has been about taking that chance, even if the percentage is zero! Uhhh..." Uzume's temper went down a little as she saw Thomas flipping through the pages, "What are you doing?"

"While you were hyping yourself up to do something crazy," Thomas said in a dull tone, "I was trying to find the passage here that would tell you how crazy it would be."

"Oh!" Uzume felt the heat drain from her body, and she slumped her shoulders, "So, you had a book about this. Ugh."

"Um, sorry about that, I did not mean to hide this from you," Thomas explained, as he continued looking in the book, "But, well, I would really hate myself if you just did something like that and hurt yourself badly."

Uzume glanced downwards, feeling a bit ridiculous for pushing herself. She was going to say something, but as she opened her mouth, something else made a noise.

 **GRRRRAAAAAAWWR!**

Uzume snapped back from her downcast expression, moving behind Thomas, or rather, in front to meet with where the noise was coming from, "We'll check over the book later! We've got company!"

Thomas scrambled to put the book back, and brought out his poking stick of doomy-doom, turning around while trying to get back into a fighting stance. As he was doing so, his hands were already shaking a little, as he recognized the sound of that monster.

Coming up along the road to greet them was a large wolf-like creature with rather massive claws sticking out from its front claw, and even some blades on its back paws. It seemed rather much for a beast to have those things, but this was a dangerous beast to deal with anyway.

"A Fenrir? Here? Damnit all. It's one thing to take on Dogoos, but another to take on something like this," Uzume took her megaphone and readied herself, before glancing back to Thomas with a serious expression, "Tomsy, you may have to hang back for this one. These things are awfully strong, so I'll have to give it everything I got." She winced, looking back briefly, "I don't know how it will go, honestly. I haven't been a hundred percent since that firewall dropped."

"This is bad, isn't it?" Thomas' voice cracked a little, his hands visibly shaking so much holding the weapon that even Uzume could see that he was nervous, "Why did it have to be this? Why..."

Uzume tried to rally her travelling partner, "Tomsy, get a hold of yourself! We have to work together in order to bring this thing down. Just, hang in there-"

 **GRRRRAAAAAAWWR!** The Fenrir was just saying hello! Also, welcome to your doom.

Thomas jumped in place, visibly shaking now, "Why... Oh please, save me." As Uzume clenched her megaphone and went right in front to shield Thomas, Thomas clasped his hands together, with his weapon, raising them up as though to pray.

He murmured, "Please, goddesses, save me. Any one of you, can you hear me? I need your help. We need your help. Please, save us. I know if anyone can deal with this, it would be you, so please..."

Uzume was not sure what was happening, but she felt someone calling out to her, and a familiar feeling rushed over her body. She widened her eyes, coming to a realization, "Tomsy? Was that you?"

Thomas paused from his plea, and looked over to Uzume, "Huh? Uzume?"

She smiled softly, and turned to look at him, "Trust me, and watch this, okay?"

"Wait, what do you-" It only took a second, but Uzume was quick to call upon this feeling and interrupt Thomas with a "Transform~!"

Both the Fenrir and Thomas were briefly blinded by the white light that engulfed her. When it returned, Uzume was completely different. The red-haired girl had transformed into an orange-haired goddess, complete with the wings that were commonly seen among the other nations' CPUs.

"Transformation complete~! Uzume's not going to let the big bad wolfie hurt anyone!" The CPU said with definite confidence, even if her tone did not match that intensity.

"Wh-wha-" Thomas, stunned, was at a complete loss of words.

Uzume beamed another smile at him, "Uzume'll help, okay?"

"Uh, uh, ok..." Thomas' complexion turned, as he tried to refocus himself. He will undoubtedly have a lot to say later, if he could get around to it, that is.

 **GRRRRAAAAAAWWR!** Fenrir unimpressed by transformation! Also, this is its only line of dialogue!

To say this was a one-sided fight that would not be given much detail would be understating it. From Thomas' perspective, this was like watching the last fight, except now it was a goddess taking down a much more dangerous monster. It was a surreal sight that he couldn't really process in the moment.

In comparison, Thomas... had a stick to poke the Fenrir with. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to damage this enemy, but he had to at least try to assist. So, as Uzume was thrashing the enemy with a barrage of punches and sound waves, Thomas took opportune moments to kick the Fenrir in the limbs. At least, he kicked the areas that were not sharp blades or claws. It looked rather silly, honestly, but Uzume did not have the heart to let Thomas know.

Thomas gave the Fenrir one last kick, though it kicked through the air as the Fenrir vanished, dropping its loot. With the Fenrir defeated, Uzume did a victory pose to celebrate her victory, "Alright! Uzume took down the wolfie! Is Tomsy okay?" She beamed cutely, hovering over to check on the man, who tried to catch his breath after the fight.

There was an awkward pause, as the CPU waited for Thomas to say something. Anything?

"Y-y-you're a CPU!" Thomas said excitedly, then tried to curb his enthusiasm, "Er, sorry! I'm just so happy! And excited! And a lot of other positive emotions! Although I think I'm also feeling a bit of anxiety as well! Sorry! I... I..."

Before Thomas continued, Uzume changed back to her human form, and took a deep breath, "Ho, I feel a lot better now. I should've brought a share crystal when I was taking a stroll but I am so glad to feel that share energy once again. I have you to thank, Tomsy... um, Tomsy?"

Thomas was deep in thought for a second, then pointed a finger questioningly, "Wait. You, you're a CPU."

"Uh, yes," Uzume replied.

"But," Thomas looked really confused by this, "but I don't recognize you. What nation are you from?"

Uzume blinked, "Uh, Planeptune."

"Planeptune? But you're not Neptune," Thomas continued his line of questioning, "I don't remember there being a new goddess. A candidate? No, I don't think Histoire mentioned a new CPU Candidate. Are you from another dimension?"

Uzume continued blinking, looking just as confused as Thomas, "Uh, yes and no? Wait, you know Nepsy? And Histy?"

An awkward pause later, Thomas slapped his forehead, a headache coming on, "Uh, this seems like a long story for the both of us right now. Right now, though, I need your help!" He reached and grabbed for Uzume's right arm.

"Hey, what are you doing? Hey!" Uzume is brought along by an excited Thomas back towards the firewall near Narita Village, "I can walk, you know!"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry!" Thomas let go of Uzume's arm and quickly went back to his inventory, taking the tome from earlier and reopening it, "But as a CPU, there is a way to break this wall down."

"Break down the wall?" Uzume's cheeks were only briefly red.

"Yeah," Thomas flipped over to a page he mentally noted in his mind when he first scanned through the book, and speeds through it, "Let's see... ah! Here it is! Okay, uh," Thomas looked to Uzume and blinked, "Oh, right! You need to be transformed for this."

"Alright," Uzume shrugged, and did a less dramatic transformation sequence to resume her goddess identity.

"It's here in the tome that you need to... hold your arm out, like this," Thomas held a free arm out, palm outstretched. Uzume copied the motion, realizing that it is similar to when she holds out a share crystal to transform. "Good, good!" Thomas continued looking through the page, and squinted his eyes, "Next you... you..." He struggled as he read the page, "Please don't tell me I'm losing it here. We're so close!"

"Did something go wrong?" Uzume frowned, concerned.

"Well-" he seemed to be stuck on a particular part of the page, then looked to Uzume, leaning the book towards her, "This part here, can you read this?"

"Hmm?" Uzume looks down at the page shown, and after the silly diagrams showing the outstretched arm pose, there are a bunch of strange symbols listed on the next step, including a symbol of a Dogoo, and a swirling logo similar to the one Uzume is familiar with. Uzume perked up, as though the symbols made sense, "Got it!"

"You do?" He asked, before Uzume nodded and turned her head down to her open palm, concentrating on something. A beat later, yellow pulsing energy grew over Uzume's hand, and shot at the wall in front of her.

The result was sudden, as the firewall began disintegrating from where the shot hit, and the hole it created grew until the path to Narita Village was clear. The two watched and grew more hopeful when the wall continued breaking, until the section that was isolating them from the village had dissolved. However, the sky continued to spark electricity, and much farther away, they could still see 'walls' still holding their strength.

"I, I guess I was a bit too hopeful," Thomas said with a small sigh.

Uzume, who quickly reformed back into her human form, still looked incredibly excited, "This is great! We have a way to get rid of this thing! Tomsy, where did you get that book?"

"An old castle not too far off from here," Thomas answered, "A former goddess offered to me to help."

"Former goddess?" Uzume was intrigued, but then composed herself, "Looks like we have a lot to talk about. But perhaps we should check on the village first."

"Agreed. I am sure there'll be people wondering what just happened."

* * *

Narita Village. The small village had a few buildings along the path, but most of it was basically farmland, as there are a few crops growing nearby, namely wheat and corn. As Uzume and Thomas enter the village, they noticed that there aren't really many people around. Sure, they can see one NPC, a farmer, occasionally looking up at the sky while using a scythe on some wheat. However, it didn't look like there was much in the village.

"I don't know if there is any Guild around here, Tomsy. Perhaps we should just find a place to st-" Uzume thought she was talking with Thomas when she turned her head to see him bolting towards someone. Puzzled, she followed along, until she caught up to Thomas meeting with a lone guard hanging in a small booth. The guard didn't have any outstanding features - although he at least was not just a silhouette - but he did appear to recognize Thomas, who called out to him.

"Woah! Well if it ain't Tommy! I ain't seen ya since I was at the Basilicom! How's it going, eh?" The guard, putting his spear aside, relaxed considerably and shook Thomas' hand.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Gary!" Thomas was positively beaming as he returned the handshake, "So this is where you've been posted this whole time?"

"Oh no, I got here like a week ago after the last guy retired, eh," the guard with a strange accent said as he let go of the handshake, "Pretty much nothing going on here, eh, but I don't mind so long as I get fed and the pay's good. Though lately, the sky falling caused everyone to be all spooked out, yanno?"

"Yeah, I can't really say I blame them," Thomas said with a frown, "Any luck trying to contact anyone?"

"Nah, no luck here, eh," Gary shrugged, "Couldn't get a hold of the Basilicom ever since the sky fell on our heads. Well that just don't beat all, yanno? Communication's been cut off to other places too, can't even check on my girl back in Haneda City, eh? I dunno what I can do at this point."

"It seems peaceful enough here, though," Thomas said as he gestured around the small village. The NPC farmer gave a nod as though he was being acknowledge. Everyone say hi to the farmer! Or not. Fine, be that way.

"Oh not really," Gary corrected him, "Well, yes, it's all peaceful here, sure, but since the sky fell, there's been some noise north of here. I mean, like, there's been explosions and stuff happening there." He pointed north, towards a few mountains.

"Explosions? That doesn't sound good. Have you planning on doing anything?" Thomas asked.

"Normally I'd post a request to the Guild, but the closest one's in Haneda City, eh," Gary frowned, "And I don't know if I should go alone, yanno? It could be very dangerous..."

"Lucky for you two, I happen to be here!" Uzume finally spoke up, getting into that cocky demeanor from earlier, "I can check it out if you want!"

"Huh? Hey Tommy, who's this broad, eh?" Gary asked, before his eyes widened in recognition, "No way! Oh, I am so sorry, my Lady! I didn't mean to speak out of turn!"

"Wait, you know her?" Thomas asked as Uzume blinked in surprise as well.

"Know her? Tommy, where you been all this time, eh? That's Lady Orange Heart! She was goddess of Planeptune long before you were even born!" Gary exclaimed in offense.

"Uzume, you -" Thomas gestured a little to Uzume, who just waved a little 'hello' to his travelling partner, "Uh, well, I don't remember reading anything about this."

"Oh! Right, I guess there are people who still didn't know, eh," Gary said, patting his colleague on the back, "I mean, I just learned from my grandpapi about her not too long ago, yanno? That whole crisis long ago... well, the one before this one we have? Well, Lady Orange Heart was revived after all that. Long story involving her sealing herself and rewriting everyone's memories long ago, so she just now came back and all. Really weird story, but you should've seen the look on grandpapi's face! Happy as a Neptune eating pudding, he was!"

"Oh geez, this is kind of embarrassing, hearing your own story being told like this. Really, I'm just happy to be back home," Uzume said as her cheeks reddened.

"But if a CPU is here, than that's even better, eh!" Gary looked pumped, "Could you do us all a favor and check it out? I'm afraid to leave my post on account of the monsters bouncing around. Don't want them to be eating the crops or worse, eh. Plus, I know a CPU would definitely take care of anything like that! Um... if it's not too much trouble with you, my Lady."

"Of course I'm willing to help!" Uzume said, pumping her fist up and trying to strike a 'cool' pose, "I've been itching to get back to helping the people of Planeptune again."

"Oh, that's so kind of you, my Lady," Gary said, looking incredibly happy, "I can see why my grandpapi was so smitten with you, eh! I'm guessing you were also the one that broke that wall back there?"

Uzume just nodded, and looked almost ecstatic in being recognized for her achievement. "Ah, bless you, my Lady," Gary said, "I have every confidence in you helping to fix... whatever this thing is, eh? Just be careful when you go over there, okay?"

"Uh, before all that, Uzume," Thomas interrupted, "er, Gary, is there a place where the two of us could lodge for a while? There's quite a lot to discuss before doing anything."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure, I got a place in the village here, eh? It ain't much, but it's got plenty of beds and space, so you can use it while you're around here," Gary offered.

"Thanks Gary, appreciate all the help we can get," Thomas said, smiling once more.

"Oh, it's no problem at all. Just doing my part for the community, eh?" Gary said before asking Thomas, "Are you planning to go with the CPU up north too? Aren't you no longer of Planeptune?"

"I plan to go, yes," Thomas said before hesitating, "And, uh, that's a bit complicated. I have some things to take care of down by the coast, after all."

"Ah, okay," Gary replied, "Well, so long as you're still helping, I ain't gonna stop ya."

"Thanks again. I'll see you later, hopefully with one mystery solved," Thomas patted Gary on the back before the guard took back his spear to resume his post, but not before pointing the way to the building he was staying at, and offering a spare set of keys he had on him.

With that, Uzume and Thomas went into the building. It would not be long before they would check out the Otori Cave. It was there that they would meet something potentially more dangerous than the firewall. At least, that's what this teaser is telling me as I am reading this. I don't know if you should trust it. You know how off-the-mark those things can be. One minute, it's impending doom, the next, it's a fluffy plushy.

Honestly, these teasers can go take a hike somewhere. Ah well, screw this. I'm gonna go get a bite to eat now. I'm sure the next part will be fine.


	4. ACT I: A Dangerous Flower

**(Original message: We interrupt this fanfic to bring you an author's note! Hold on, let me get my sheet. Ahem! Thank you to who have commented, reviewed, or generally followed this fanfic. I appreciate any feedback that comes my way. As for the choice of italics someone mentioned earlier, the use of italics for thoughts was just temporary, as I only had one person thinking to himself. Now, with other people joining in, I can just focus on the dialogue itself having the italics, which I did because I felt like it. And to make you talk. Yyyyes, that's the ticket!**

 **Anyway, this chapter was originally split in two. However, because I realized how short one chapter was, and because I wanted to express my gratitude, I've combined both into a super chapter! Please enjoy and continue supporting this story while I still have the enthusiasm for it! Stupid laziness of mine. It will not stop me!**

 **Ahem, that's done! Now back to your irregularly scheduled insanity!)**

 **(New edit: Italics have been removed now. Other earlier chapters to soon follow. Eventually. *shrug*)**

* * *

Narita Village. A small home to a few families, one guard, and a farmer who's probably still harvesting that wheat. In a short time, the village had to deal with a falling sky, monsters, and noisy neighbors. So far, things look fine, actually.

At the lodge, our protagonists set up camp for the time being, as Uzume took a look outside a window, staring at the electric sky. Thomas, meanwhile, had gone through his inventory, before pulling out a map to lay across a table. He then sat himself down and rested his head on his hands, thinking.

Uzume turned back and sat across the table, "So, what's with the map here?"

"Just trying to get my bearings," Thomas responded, still deep in thought. "First things first, though... I need to ask, but, will you help me?"

Uzume tilted her head, "I assume you mean taking down the firewall. But of course, you can put your faith in me."

Thomas closed his eyes, and muttered quietly, "Thank you." He then raised his voice a little, "You were not the first Planeptune goddess to help me here. I... I feel like I'll forever be in Planeptune's debt."

Uzume paused, then spoke softly, "Care to explain a little more?"

Thomas nodded, opening his eyes once more, "That tome. It was offered to me by the spirit of the former goddess, Uranus."

Uzume grimaced, it was a name she knew all too well, "The goddess that came after me..."

"Oh?" Thomas was not aware of Uzume's own history. Heck, he didn't even know about Orange Heart until just recently, "In any case, like you, she offered what she could, and saved my fate from certain demise. Now I have to make my way to the Planeptune Basilicom."

"What's the plan, then, Tomsy?" Uzume said as she tapped her fingers on her side of the table.

"Well, first we have to deal with what Gary talked about," Thomas put his finger towards a spot on the map, supposedly where they may be, "If it is what I think it is, we're heading to Otori Cave. Unless something else comes up, the next plan would be to make our way down to Haneda City, and deal with any monsters or problems that happen there. Then we head to Planeptune proper. I am hoping we can find the other CPUs on the way to make things easier. However, my main priority is to get to Planeptune and meet with Histoire."

"You're thinking she might know exactly what's going on?"

"I don't know," Thomas answered Uzume, "However, she can easily coordinate everything, maybe know how to reach the other goddesses. In any case, once I meet her, I'll pass the reigns over to her and consider my part done."

"Done?" Uzume asked as she stopped tapping her fingers, "You're not planning to help out the entire time?"

"You have seen me fight, have you not?" Thomas said with a shake of his head, "I'm just some bureaucrat. I am not cut out for this."

"Well, uh, I do admit you're not... erm, a high-level fighter, but I think with time you can improve," Uzume tried her best at diplomacy.

"I do not wish to fight," Thomas said as he closed his hands, "It is not what I signed up for then, and it's not something I wish to do now. Still... for now, I shall try. Once this is over, I will leave the rest to you."

"Um, alright, if that's what you really want," Uzume said, casting her gaze down on the map, "Then I guess that settles it for the plan."

Thomas smiled a little, then got up and wandered over to a nearby bed, slipping in, "I'm gonna take a nap. It has been a rather busy day."

"Alright, I think I'll stay up a bit longer, but I should probably rest sometime soon," Uzume glanced away from the bed, "Rest well."

There was little talking between the two afterwards, as they took some time to rest and heal any wounds they may have.

* * *

After their rest, the two made their way to Otori Cave. They stopped near the entrance and waited a moment to listen. After a few seconds of silence, they could hear a rather faint explosion, then another, then a louder one, followed by a long period of silence.

"Gary has said it's been like this for a couple of hours now," Thomas pointed to the entrance, "Any guesses what it could be?"

"No idea," Uzume said, "Oh, wait. Maybe it's someone doing some mining? Ooh, maybe testing demolitions? Yeah, like a group of rebels making sure their explosives are ready before the big mission to take down the baddies!"

"Uh, maybe?" Thomas blinked, "Let's just go in and find out."

"Oh! R-right," Uzume snapped out of it before stopping, "Wait. Tomsy? Before we go in, I have to ask about your friend there."

"Gary?" Thomas was looking into the entrance as he pulled out the pointy stick of destiny, "What about him?"

"I don't recognize that accent of his," Uzume said, pulling out her megaphone and moving a little ahead of him, "do you know anything about it?"

"Oh, I don't know exactly, myself," Thomas admitted, "I remembered him telling he lived up north for a while, so my guess is he picked up some local Lowene dialect." He shrugged, "Any reason you asked?"

"No, just curious," Uzume murmured, and the two slowly entered inside.

Otori Cave has been visited before by adventurers and goddesses. It has plenty of rocks, stalagmites, and of course, monsters. Although Thomas wanted to sneak around and not engage with the monsters, Uzume was more than eager to take on the bee-like Stingers, the turtle-like Shells, and the aptly-named Boxer Cats.

Initially, Thomas just sighed any time a battle began, and stayed back, occasionally only striking at opportune moments. Later on during the trek, however, Thomas became a little more confident, and more aggressive. He was still poking enemies with a stick, but Thomas was eyeing the patterns of each enemy, and interrupted some of their attacks by just being annoying. These made things a little easier for Uzume, who had no problem dealing with these enemies. This did offer up a question though... how does Uzume use a megaphone and not cause a cave-in? Well, I guess I won't find out here.

Uzume stopped Thomas for a moment, "Tomsy, you're under a hidden block."

Thomas looked up, wayyyyy up, to see the outline of a oddly-colored block. He frowned a bit, and stared at Uzume, "What do you want from me? I can't reach that."

"Silly, you're supposed to jump!" Uzume says, and started bouncing in place, as though she was trying to teach Thomas all about jumping.

"I can't jump that high," Thomas pointed out the height difference.

"Oh come on, it doesn't hurt to try!" Uzume insisted on Thomas jumping after the block.

Thomas tried to stare a hole into Uzume's red eyes, but it did not seem to face her one bit. She then laughed, "Haha, sorry. You're right in that it's a bit too high. Maybe we need some spring shoes?"

"You could just fly up there," Thomas noted.

Uzume had a long pause as she looked up, before saying, "Not worth it. Plus I think you just wanted to see me transform again, don't you?"

"Nooooooooo," Thomas said while rolling his eyes back, "That's not it at all."

Uzume, unsure whether that was sarcasm or not, smiled and put her hands on Thomas' shoulders, "Give me a boost, will ya? I can reach with a little extra jump."

Thomas' cheeks reddened a little, before he knelt down and clasped his hands together, looking away as Uzume stepped a foot into the hands, "J-just say when."

"On go," Uzume ordered, "1, 2, 3, Go!"

Thomas heaved and lifted up Uzume for a boost, who quickly punched the block, revealing a Life Fragment that Thomas catches.

Uzume landed on her feet gracefully, then gave a thumbs up, "Alright! A Life Fragment! That'll be useful in case -" Uzume coughed, "Well, let's hope we don't need to use it!"

Thomas could only nod, as he tried, and failed to hold back his blush. He quickly turned his back to Uzume and exclaimed, "Weshouldprobablykeepgoingnotimetowait!"

Uzume seemed puzzled, then shrugged, following Thomas through the cave.

While fighting on, the two kept an ear open to pinpoint the location of the explosions. Eventually, they reached a lower level, and Uzume looked around a rock to see if the coast was clear. However, her eyes widened, and she coiled back, pulling Thomas back.

"I found the source!" Uzume whispered, "But it might be too dangerous!"

"What are you talking about? Let me see," Thomas peeked around the corner to get a look, but coiled back as one of the Shell monsters zipped past him. The monster vanished in defeat soon after, and Thomas gulped, "What in Gamindustri was that?"

The two slowly peeked out again, and the sight of what they saw definitely shook them, for there stood a bunch of monsters surrounded a particular person. A woman, a CPU, clad mostly in black, wielding a sword (?) and grinning from ear to ear.

"I see all of you still want to go at it?" The woman spoke in a calm, sinister tone, "That's perfectly fine. I can go at this all day long. In fact, I have! **So how about a little more punishment, to go? It'll be absolutely amazing, I promise! HAHAHAHAHA!"**

A few more cracks of the whip-like sword and some explosions later, and the woman was still standing, cackling like mad. The two protagonists hid back behind the rock, scared by what they just saw.

"Holy crap, that lady is crazy scary!" Uzume said with her eyes almost as wide as some anime girls could make them, which is to say quite a lot.

"I almost feel bad for all the monsters!" Thomas exclaimed quietly, still trying to keep his voice low. His mind raced on the possibility of such a crazy CPU roaming around, reminding him of something way back when. He held a hand up to his head while trying to remember.

Uzume shivered, her tone shifting to a much higher pitch, "Uzume expected scary monsters. Uzume was ready for scary monsters. Uzume is not ready for crazy CPU lady! Uzume doesn't like at all! Totally bad medicine! Uzume wants to run back! Uzume should ask Tomsy to bail out!" Uzume looked back to Thomas, who was peeking back over the rock, "Huh? Tomsy? Wha-" Uzume caught herself, and whispered normally once more, "What is it now?"

Thomas continued to watch a moment, trying to jog some of his memory. As he did, he could see the woman breathing a bit more heavily, even as she seemed to enjoy herself destroying more of the monsters that kept pouring in.

Uzume started to look at Thomas oddly as he seemed to be just staring, "Err, Tomsy? Just what are you thinking? Should I know?"

Thomas finally had a realization, "We need to help her."

"What?" Uzume said, not believing what she just heard, "Are you freakin' insane?"

"Probably," Thomas grimaced, "But I think we can reason with her."

"Yeah, not happening," Uzume shook her head emphatically.

"Please, trust me on this," Thomas looked to Uzume, as he would need Uzume to come along to continue.

"Are you serious?" Uzume said as she met Thomas' pleading eyes. The silence took a while to get to her, "I... I really hope for both our sakes you are right here."

"Just watch and follow my lead," Thomas said as he turned his eyes back to the fighting. Raising his sharp stick of pointyness, he aimed for one of the Stingers aiming for the woman as she was fighting, and threw the stick at the insect. Before it could react to the throw, Thomas jumped in and gave it a relatively swift kick. It reeled back a little, but it wasn't until Uzume, who transformed before jumping in, rushed to punch it out of the way.

"Oh my!" The woman said as the monsters were panicking by the sudden attack, "Looks like we have more who wish to join in? Do you two wish to play? Because I won't be showing any mercy."

"Save it for the monsters, we came here to assist you, Lady Iris Heart," Thomas quickly spoke as he tried to cut in between the monsters and the CPU. Uzume, meanwhile, kept her focus on the monsters.

"Oh? Did I ask to be rescued? I don't recall needing your feeble help, young man," The CPU snapped, "Even if you seem to know who I am."

"We're friends of Neptune, Lady Iris Heart. Please, let us help you," Thomas retorted, hoping the name drop will help here.

"Neppy?" The girl's expression changed briefly, before she slowly turned his back towards the two, "Very well. Consider me intrigued. For now, you may assist me. Just don't try anything you will regret later."

Thomas took that as a sign to stop the conversation for now and focus on the fighting. Although he wasn't providing much in the way of firepower, he was able to help make the battle easier, pestering any potential flanking enemies from attacking. He did jump a few times on some of the sudden attacks from Iris Heart, but despite how close they were, they did connect with the nearby enemies. Despite the joy she was likely getting from spooking Thomas, the CPU was protecting him, and helping out to clear the enemies.

Uzume, however, just tried to keep a significant distance from the other woman. She wasn't as trusting as Thomas seemed to be, and the few times she saw him nearly hit by the CPU, she almost jumped in herself, even if a huge part of her dreaded that exchange. It was a very stressful fight for Orange Heart, to be certain.

The remaining monsters finally decided this was not was not worth pursuing, and retreated into the dark corners of the cave.

 **"Hahaha!"** Iris Heart boasted as she teased the remaining monsters, **"Cowards should've thought about that before attacking!"** She laughed a little more before taking a deep sigh, seeming relieved and pleased with the outcome, "Ah, that felt much better. I think I'll be satisfied for quite a time. Consider yourselves lucky -"

The girl soon transformed, her body shifting from the crazed CPU to a very tired, disheveled girl, dressed ready for bed.

"Sooooooo sleepy," the girl said with her eyes half-lidded, "I don't know if I could've done that forever. I'm happy you came by!"

Uzume blinked repeatedly as the CPU's drastic change, "Scary girl turn into not-scary girl?" She then changed back to her human persona, looking at the sleepy girl.

"There's a village nearby, if you want to sleep to rest your wounds," Thomas said as he gestured to himself, "My name's Thomas," he gestured to the other CPU, "She's Uzume. You must be Plutia, correct?"

"Uh-huh! It's nice to meet you!" Plutia said in her usual slow, sleepy tone, "You're friends with Neppy, right? Is Neppy with you?"

Thomas shook his head, grimacing, "No, unfortunately. We are on our way to go and find her, hoping she's alright."

Plutia looked rather sad at this, "Is Neppy in trouble?"

Thomas responded, "Our world is in trouble right now. We're trying to find her, and any CPU willing to help."

"Then I'll help too!" Plutia said bluntly, "Anything to help poor Neppy! But first..." She started to yawn, "I need my nap."

Thomas' eyes widen a little, "Wait, don't sleep here! There's still monsters around!"

Plutia grumbled, "I'm really tired. Carry me."

Thomas stammered, "W-wha?" He quickly scrambled, and looked to Uzume, "You're stronger, right?"

"Ohhhh no, I'm not carrying her," Uzume protested, "Besides, she clearly asked you!"

"Yep!" Plutia agreed, "I want Tho-... Tah-... I want Tommy to carry me! Piggyback!"

Thomas just eyed Plutia, but clearly he wasn't going to change Plutia's made-up mind. He was just incredulous by all this. Plutia just looked up and smiled sheepishly.

"Alright," Thomas finally relented, as he bent his knees down and turned his back, "Just this once."

"Yay!" Plutia said excitedly, and quickly jumped on Thomas' back, wrapping her arms around to hold on, "Let's go!"

Thomas was surprised by the sudden weight, but slowly got himself up, carrying the CPU. "Lead the way back, Uzume. Oof." His voice was clearly strained.

Uzume cracked a smile, trying not to laugh at the sight, "Leave it to me."

Thomas tried not to seethe too much as he struggled to move forward. Perhaps it was around this time that he started to regret getting involved.

* * *

Later, at Narita Village, Thomas leaned his back against the wall of the lodge he was staying at. Plutia had finally been put to a bed where she had been sleeping soundly. Thomas just winced as he felt rather sore after all that walking with the CPU on his back.

Uzume slid up beside him, crossing her arms and grinning at the man in pain. After a few moments, Thomas noticed the look, and asked, "Have something to add to the wound?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing," Uzume said with a little laugh, "I didn't expect you to go through that whole thing, you know?"

"Just showing some courtesy," Thomas winced, "Though I think that may have not been the smartest move. Ow, my back certainly agreed."

"Here we are, anyway," Uzume said with a little shrug, "Though the way she acted, holding you close like that, it was something out of a little romantic comedy."

"Oh, and little boost to get a hidden block didn't fit that either?" Thomas retorted, to which Uzume glanced away, exaggerating her shrug.

Thomas sighed, and closed his eyes while trying to relax, "In any case, another CPU to help is always appreciated, even if my back doesn't agree right now."

"How do you know of Plutia, by the way?" Uzume asked, curious.

"I was still working at Planeptune for a time," Thomas recalled from memory, "But Gamindustri faced a tremendous crisis, no thanks to an ancient CPU from another dimension. Neptune and Nepgear went missing for weeks. Thankfully, they returned from the dimension they were trapped in, and with Plutia, helped defeat the villain and saved the day." Thomas cringed a little, "You know, saying all this now, I have to say... our world is kinda crazy."

"You know of any others?" Uzume asked as it was Thomas' turned to shrug, "But I think I remember hearing something about that from Nepgear."

Thomas hummed a little, "Wonder why she's here, though. I guess we can ask her once she wakes up."

* * *

"Well," hours later, a woken up Plutia answered that question, "I was taking the portal to come to this dimension. I was going to go see how Neppy was and go play for a while. But then, I was distracted by all the amazing things in Planeptune, so I had a walk! It was a nice and lovely day, so later, I decided to take a nap. And then -"

"Yes?" Thomas was following Plutia's story intently up to that point.

Plutia smiled, tapping herself on the head with a hand, "I think I got lost."

Uzume and Thomas reeled back at the response. Unfazed by the reaction, Plutia continued, "Later, I went into the cave, because it was getting really warm, and I wanted to look inside for anything shiny to bring back home. That's when the monsters appeared, and later you two showed up!"

Thomas got up from his reaction, sighing, "So, I take it you don't know about the firewall that came down?"

Plutia blinked, and glanced out the windows, "Is that what you call that weird sky thing? Is that why Neppy may be in trouble?"

Thomas nodded, then continued, "We're on our way to Planeptune. Hopefully we can find her on the way. You are free to join us, of course."

Plutia tittered, "Of course I will! I wanna help Neppy! Neppy helped me soooo much back home! It's the least I can do!"

Thomas smiled happily, "I'm glad to hear that, Plutia. Welcome aboard. Let's all go help Neptune together."

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Uzume's model appears on screen, with the following text: "Plutia... I think I recognize her now."**

* * *

Inside the lodge, the three are getting themselves ready to move on. Uzume, though, was busy just staring at Plutia. After a while, Plutia smiled to her, "Oh! Right, I guess we haven't really talked much. You're Uzume, right?"

"Mmm?" Uzume was caught off-guard, "Oh, sorry. Uh, yeah, the name's Uzume Tennouboshi!"

"Hehehe, the name sounds cute," Plutia said, causing Uzume to blush, before she asks, "Sooo, why are you staring? Is there something on my face?"

"O-o-oh!" Uzume leaned back, "Sorry about that. I was just remembering. Do you play on 4GO by any chance?"

"4GO?" Plutia pondered this for a second, then ohs, "Oh! You mean Four Goddesses Online? Uh huh! I sure do!"

"Aha!" Uzume proudly proclaimed, "Now I remember you! You held an accessory shop in Alsgard, right?"

Plutia beamed happily, "Yep! I was a tailor!"

Thomas raised his eyebrows in surprise, hearing the conversation, "That's quite impressive. I didn't know that it was possible to connect to the servers from Ultradimension!"

Plutia nodded, "Uh-huh! I was given beta keys by the people who made it. They wanted to see if you could play online from other dimensions. From what I remembered, they tried a few times to get their game to run back home."

Uzume cleared her throat, "Uh, yeah, I too was able to play from Zero Dimension!"

Thomas arched an eyebrow at Uzume, "Zero dimension?"

Uzume, realizing that neither probably heard of it, explained, "That's the dimension that's kinda my home now. It's a long story."

Plutia ahs, "Ah, I remember now! Uzume, you were that solo player trying to level up all on her own, right? Same red hair?"

Uzume ohs, "Yeah! That was me! I was trying to up my stats and be the best solo player in 4GO! Pretty cool, right?"

Plutia giggled, remembering something else, "I remember you from when you came to the store too. You wanted to have some really cute clothes for your character!"

Uzume laughed, "Did I say that? I'm sure I just wanted some new clothes. Nothing really cute at all, haha-"

Plutia shook her head to interrupt, "Uh-uh, I remember it really well! You then said you changed your mind and you were hanging out near the fountain in the square."

Uzume was visibly starting to sweat, "I was hanging out, that's all! It's an MMO, people do that a lot!"

Plutia's smile widened as she continued, "It was when there was this big rumor, that the fountain had a magic spirit, and it would one day appear and grant a person's deepest wish."

Uzume started turning red, "Just hanging out!"

Plutia kept her train going at her usual, painfully slow pace, "You were looking at the fountain so intently, like you realllllllly wanted something! So I got to thinking -"

Uzume panicked, quickly speaking through the next few lines "Just hanging out! That's all it was! Uzume wasn't wishing for cute clothes or anything like that! Anyway, it was nice talking, but I think I heard Gary call for me. Will meet you two outside, bye!"

As soon as Uzume bailed out on the conversation and shut the door, Plutia giggled, "Aww, she's so cute. Don't you think so, Tommy?"

Thomas just seemed confused by what he saw, "Uh, yeah." He said as a sort of automatic response.

Plutia sighed happily, "Aaah, I love it when they're so shy like that. I'll make her a cute plushie when we're all done!"

Thomas could only scratch his head, as in the distance, he heard Uzume outside yelling about something, then going **"Auuuuugh!"**

Gary could then be heard, "What seems to be the problem, my Lady? Eh? Where are you going?"

* * *

Some time later, Thomas was talking with the lone guard, "We'll be heading off to Haneda City. Again, thanks for the help, there."

Gary smiled, "Eh, no problem, Tommy-boy! Thanks for taking care of whatever it was up north. When you get to Haneda, make sure Melissa's okay, eh?"

"I'll make sure," Thomas assured him, "I'll try to re-establish communications once we're there too, just to let you know."

"Sounds good," the guard responded, "Good luck, eh! Oh, and uh, be careful around the goddesses, I hear they can be a real handful sometimes, yanno?"

Thomas winced, "A little late to be telling me that, Gary."

Gary laughed, "Just messing with ya, Tommy-boy. Go on now, I think those girls are getting impatient."

"Uh, yeah," Thomas smirked, "Be seeing you."

Gary waved a simple good-bye, as Thomas and the two CPUs began moving southwest, down the road.

* * *

"I'm on the road to Ha-ne-da Ci-ty. Chu chu chu~" Uzume hummed a little ditty to herself as the trio continued their trek. She seemed to be in her own little world.

Thomas, not wanting to interrupt her, decided instead to ask the other goddess, "Uh, Plutia? Mind if I ask you something?"

"Hmmm?" Plutia said as she paused from her usual spaced out expression to look over at Thomas, "Sure! Ask me anything!"

Thomas cleared his throat a bit just to ask, "Um, alright. When we found you, you were still, um, transformed, correct?"

Plutia nodded, "Yep! That's what I am like whenever I transform. Everyone gets a little scared whenever I do it, though."

Thomas ohs, "Well, that wasn't what I meant. Uh, what I meant was, um," Thomas tried to formulate his question, "When the firewall came down, Uzume wasn't able to transform at first. Only when she was given faith, er, share energy, was she able to change."

Pluta paused, trying to understand, but she wasn't really pushing herself to think hard on the subject, "Well, uhhhhh... maybe it's just that I'm different?"

"Different?" Thomas thought for a moment, and tried to figure it out on his own, "You mean, because you were CPU of the Ultradimension? If I remember, the rules are a little different over there?"

"Maybe!" Plutia was just willing to accept any theory, "I don't really get it either, but it shouldn't matter now, riiiight?"

"I suppose not. I was just overthinking it, I guess," Thomas said, as he glanced back, seeing Plutia drag a fluffy plushy on the ground behind her, "Do you...fight with that?"

"Uh-huh," Plutia said with a bright smile, "I made it all by myself! It is very good against squishy enemies! Sometimes, when I need to, I give it a good thrashing, and the enemies get damaged instead. Sometimes, I throw it up in the air! And it goes **CRASH!** onto the enemy's head! Hehe, it's a really cute sight! I'll show you some time when we do some battles!"

Thomas just had to take all that into his mind. He remembered how Neptune and Nepgear used much more conventional weapons, but here he's with two other Planeptune goddesses. One, humming to herself and using her voice as a weapon, and the other, when not a transformed maniac, using a plushy.

"Does anyone else in Gamindustri use conventional weapons?" Thomas murmured to himself, trying, and failing. to understand how this world even functioned sometimes. Meanwhile, he pulled out the wooden stick of sturdiness from his seemingly infinite inventory to once again equip in case of a fight.

Perfectly normal world, Gamindustri is!

Sure enough, the road had its share of monsters to fight. Thomas this time really had no choice but to fight them, as the two seem eager to fight. He wasn't really sure if this was because the two goddesses were used to fighting, or if it was just habit for them, or they were looking to show off their fighting styles to each other, or to him... or all of the above.

Thomas knew Plutia wanted to show off her moves since he did ask about the plushy. Heck, every time she did one of those special moves she was referring to, she would have one of her really happy expressions as she looked over at Thomas, as if to ask if he did see that. Even a small reaction from Thomas was enough for Plutia to cheer afterwards, hugging her plushy for doing a good job. It would be extremely cute to Thomas if he didn't already know about Plutia's rather sadistic side.

Meanwhile, Uzume was not one to let Plutia be the only one with the spotlight, treating the fights as an exhibition to show how cool she really was. She would strike a fancy, heroic pose after defeating a lone Horsebird, or even a random Dogoo. She would change up her punching combos just to see which would have the most flash, and when she would use her megaphone, she would yell out at the top of her lungs anything that came to mind, then blow at the megaphone like she just finished firing a gun.

"Say, Plutsy!" Uzume got around to finally talking to the other goddess after that earlier conversation.

"Plu?" Plutia looked puzzled at the nickname, "Is that what you are calling me now?"

"Sure, I mean, if it's alright with you!" Uzume tried to ask permission, just to be polite, "We're gonna be working together, after all! What do you think, cool right?"

"I don't mind at all!" Plutia said happily.

"Anyway, Plutsy," Uzume continued, "I got to thinking, since I yell at the top of my lungs at an enemy, how about you give me a message to send to the next enemy? Send 'em something that'll ring in their ears long after they're gone?"

Plutia's eyes sparkled, "Really? You would do that? That sounds amazing! Yeah, yeah! Let's do that!"

"Alright!" Uzume said with a thumbs up to her new ally, "Say, Tomsy? You want in on this too?"

"I think I'll pass," Thomas said bluntly, letting the two talk for a bit as they come up with the next 'message' for Uzume to yell with. Treating the life and death situation of fighting along like some strange sort of game. "These goddesses are crazy..." Thomas murmured very quietly to himself, as the two giggled about yelling words about endless suffering at an enemy.

On the plus side, at the very least to Thomas, the two were getting along. It reminded him of the camaraderie that he saw out there the few times he did see one of the goddesses fight.

Thomas closed his eyes a moment to remember, and sighed. He was missing the others already.

On the way to Haneda City, they came across a large group of pesky little pixelvaders, who tried to make up for their small size with sheer numbers. A bit of "Eternal Suffering!" later, the remaining pixelvaders scurried away, with the CPUs doing their victory poses. Thomas just bit his lower lip and looked ahead.

"We're close to the city now," Thomas remarked, as they came across another part of the firewall, and stopped. He looked up at the electricity sizzling along the 'sky' and grimaced. It was just like the last time near Narita Village.

"The firewall's in the way, aw, what a jerk," Plutia pouted, referring to the wall as an actual person.

Uzume grinned, and stretched her arms, cracking her knuckles, "Alright! This is where I come in! Stand back and let the veteran CPU show you how it's done!"

Thomas sighed a little, as he once again went to grab the tome from his inventory, looking again to the page with the instructions on it. He glared at the weird instructions in the strange 'language' that he could not read the last time to see if it was just his eyes playing tricks. Unfortunately for him, it was still in the wacky symbols and scribbles he could not figure out.

Uzume transformed into Orange Heart once more, and Plutia ooed as she waited for the dramatic moment, as though she was watching a fancy ritual or play. Orange Heart held out her arm and called out the strange glowing energy from the last time they broke down the wall, and waited. The energy soon shot at the wall and then, well, nothing happened. There was a few seconds to make sure it wasn't a delayed reaction but sure enough, there was no hole.

"Uhhh, open sesame?" Uzume exclaimed, trying to urge the wall to open at some point now. Any time. The wall still crackled with electricity, ignoring her phrase.

"Abracadabra!" Uzume continued, thrusting her open palm out. No response. "Hocus locus! Pesto chango! Izzy wheezy! Shazammo! Mecca lecca hi, hi diddily ho! Bibbidi-bobbidi-"

"Stop. Please stop. It's not working," Thomas interrupted Uzume before she kept going, checking through the page.

"Why won't Uzume break the wall this time?" Orange Heart pouted, looking disappointed in herself.

"Hold on," Thomas looked some more, as Plutia peeked over his shoulder, "It says that in some cases, the wall becomes more resistant over time, or when pieces of it have been broken. In such a case, more energy is needed to break it."

"So, how do we get more energy?" Uzume asked.

"Well, uh, I think we might need more faith, but there isn't a lot of people here, so..." He turned to see Plutia still looking over his shoulder, and said, "Or we can get someone else to help?"

Plutia tilted her head at Thomas, wondering what he was thinking. "Um, Plutia?" Thomas asked, as Uzume's own thoughts started to churn. She was starting to look a little concerned.

"Yes Tommy? Another question?" Plutia asked sweetly.

"Actually, yes, can you -" Thomas held up the tome over towards Plutia, and pointed out the weird symbols, "Can you read this, by any chance?"

"Hmmm? Well, those are weird pictures but... oh! That's how it is done, huh? That looks like fun! You want me to help out Uzume?" Plutia was glad to get what Thomas was getting at. Orange Heart, however, was sweating bullets. Figuratively, of course.

"Yes. Wait! Before you do that, excuse me," Thomas stopped Plutia for a while, putting the tome away in his inventory, and walking rather quickly several steps away from both Plutia and Uzume. When he finally thought he had enough distance, he turned around, and gave two thumbs up, "Alright Plutia! Whenever you're ready!"

Uzume's eyes widened at Thomas' rather blatant cowardice, "What? Tomsy! What do you think you're do-" But no sooner could she finish her sentence then the sound of a transforming Plutia confirmed her suspicions.

Iris Heart was quick to go right up to a trembling Orange Heart, "You know, I didn't quite get a good look at you when you were like this, Uzume. I must say, I like what I see."

"P-P-P-P-Plutsy..." Orange Heart was already looking rather pale as Iris Heart stroke a finger across Uzume's chin.

"Ooh, don't be like that," Iris Heart said with a smile that would belie any intentions she had, "I'm not going to do anything harsh. Besides, we have a job to do, do we not?"

Uzume could only nod, as Plutia continued, "Good girl. Now, follow my lead, and we'll teach wall a good lesson not to mess with us CPUs. You'd like that, right?" The purple-haired goddess outstretched her other hand, as she slowly grabbed one of Uzume's hands, "Here. We'll do this together, as CPUs of Planeptune. Don't worry," She leaned in closer, teasing with a whisper, "I won't let go."

Uzume followed, meekly, the two holding out their free hands, and produced the same energy from before. This time, the strength of both CPUs seemed to be enough, as a hole emerged in the part of the wall, and eventually spread to break yet another barrier, leaving the path to Haneda City open.

"As expected, nothing can match with our strength," Iris Heart said with a sneer, before she turned to Uzume, "Well, that was fun. I'll be seeing you later, Lady Orange Heart." With one last, but still worrisome, smile, Iris Heart reverted back to her sleepy human form, and she yawned.

Thomas walked back in, glancing at the sky before looking to the two, "It worked. Nicely done, Uzume, Plutia! Now we can get into the city." He smiled to Plutia, putting on a nice front, "We'll find a nice spot to take a nap and then continue our way to Planeptune."

"Hmm, I'd like that," Plutia smiled happily, "Hehe, I did a good job, right?"

"Sure did, Plutia," Thomas nodded, "I thank you for helping us through this!"

"Hehe," Plutia giggled, letting go of a still-stunned Orange Heart, before turning and heading down the road again, glancing a little at Uzume and Thomas, "I'll look on ahead!"

"Good idea," Thomas admitted, thinking Plutia wanted to leave for a bit so Uzume can 'recover', "Don't go too far off. We'll be with you shortly."

"O-kayyyyyy!" Plutia said sleepily before continuing on.

Orange Heart, eventually coming to her senses, transformed back; however, she was still a little off, "Uhhhh..."

Thomas, looking at Uzume with sympathy, bowed himself deeply, "For you to do all of this, Uzume... you are clearly one of the strongest and bravest CPUs I have ever met. For that, I salute you." He gave a quick salute, before turning himself to follow Plutia.

Uzume blinked, her cheeks flaring at the mix of emotions she has, "Th-thanks! ... Wait! Tomsy! You freakin' coward! I have a sense to bop you on the head for that! **You hear me?** ... Jackass."

Uzume resigned herself, drooping her shoulders, and slowly followed the others. She wasn't sure what to make of all of this. All she knew was this was just a, rather odd, series of events for her.

"For Gamindustri. This is for Gamindustri," Uzume repeated to herself.

What awaits Uzume next chapter? Who knows? Well, I know what happens, but I'm trying to tease the next chapter for all of you. Hmmm, oh hey, you know what a Neptunia fan-fiction actually needs? More Nep. So yeah, stay tuned, and maybe we'll get some Nep! Hopefully! No, really, Neptune, you'll be in somehow. I'll find a means! Please, stop poking me with that wooden sword! Wait, is that a giant popcicle? Gah!


	5. ACT I: Remembering Planeptune

Haneda City! One of the largest settlements on Gamindustri that was not a national capital! Home to schools, games, microtransactions, and the best chili dog stand this side of Planeptune! However, we are not here to take a gander at the local cuisine, even though food events are a common thing in the franchise. No, this time we are at one of the few hotels stationed here.

The city at the moment appeared to be fine, so our protagonists went to a hotel to stay for the evening. Save for a few hours of rest at Narita Village, the adventure had been one long walk. Although these was a sense of urgency, the three all knew that they need to remain well-rested for the trip.

The three had separate rooms booked, but since Plutia was the sleepiest of the bunch, surprise surprise, they all met in her room first to see her to rest. Plutia yawned as she was already dressed for sleep, as her pajamas were her normal attire anyway. She slipped her feet under the covers, but still sat up as she looked at the two, who were seated in chairs in the room.

"At least we saved enough money for all of this," Thomas said as he looked at the amount of money he had left in his inventory, "We'll check the rest of the city first thing tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," Uzume retorted, "Hopefully, we'll find the others soon. I'm starting to worry about them."

"I have faith that they will be fine," Thomas said softly, "But obviously, the sooner we find them, the better this will all be."

"I miss Neppy. And Neppy Junior." Plutia murmured sleepily, "I miss my friends."

"That reminds me of something," Uzume said as she pointed a finger at Thomas, "You still haven't told me about yourself, and how do you know so much about Nepsy and the others?"

"Oh yeah," Plutia exclaimed, her eyes widened for the time being, "I wanna know too! You said you were her friend, riiiiight?"

Thomas blinked several times, then reached nervously behind his neck to rub, "Well, uh, yeah. That is to say, I know her quite well. At least, I've known her since I started working at the Basilicom."

"And how long ago was that?" Uzume questioned him, "And how much do you know?"

"Is this an interrogation?" Thomas asked jokingly at Uzume, who just stared at him, before clearing his throat, "Well, uh, it is a story, I guess. Do you really want me to go into it?"

"I have time," Uzume put it bluntly.

"Ooh, story time? Is this one of that those have a flashback and everything?" Plutia asked, breaking the fourth wall, "Can I make the flashback sound?"

"Uh, sure, if you want," Thomas will just have to ignore that bit, "I guess I'll go into it then..."

Plutia made some really silly flashback noises as we head into...

* * *

 **Thomas' POV**

* * *

It was about a year or so after the goddesses defeated the Deity of Sin, and a few years before the whole crisis involving your dimension, Plutia. When news of it broke, many people within Gamindustri were ecstatic, myself included. For much of my life prior, I did not do a whole lot on the main continent, but hearing of the goddesses' victory, I decided that I would dedicate my efforts to helping in some way.

After some researching, I made the decision to go to Planeptune's Basilicom to apply. There were tests, a job interview, but eventually I managed to get a temporary job working in the Basilicom's staff. Nothing fancy, just office keeping, at least to check if I was good enough to employ for other tasks. Anyway, on my first day, I met with the Oracle of Planeptune, Histoire. I'm sure you two know who she is, but to someone like me at the time, it was a strange first meeting.

"H-h-hello!" I said shyly as I entered the office, "I am here for my first shift? Is there a Histoire here?"

"Ah, there you are!" Replied the oracle, as she hovered in on her magical tome, "You must be Thomas, correct?"

"Aaah!" I was rather startled by the appearance of a magical book fairy, but after that moment of shock, I quickly composed myself, "Oh, s-s-sorry. Yes, I am Thomas. May I see Histoire, please?"

"Oh! You must be unfamiliar, but it's okay, I understand," The fairy corrected me, "I am the Oracle of Planeptune you are seeking, Histoire. I am a magical tome created to record history and to help out the goddesses." She obviously was quite proud of this role. Although, I definitely did not research Planeptune enough to know about this. Oh well, that was my error.

"Ah, greetings then, Lady Histoire," I said, trying to bow to make some sort of polite gesture, "I apologize for my ignorance then."

"That is alright. It is your first day, after all," The fairy looked around the room as she spoke to me, "From what I've read, too, you were a Lastation citizen, were you not?"

"Well, yes, for a while I was," I said for the record, "Prior to that, I was actually not a citizen of any nation. I originally came from Hello Continent and wandered for a few years."

"Of course, I have read your history in some detail," Histoire responded, making me worry about how much of my history did she read, "All the way from that far west. You must have traveled quite a lot to get where you are now."

"Yes, though I am happy to have a job working in the city. After so much travel, settling down actually sounds like a nice change of pace." I said to keep the conversation going.

"I suppose that is true, though this work may require some physical activity," Histoire sighed, "I require people who have some physical strength to lift some things should the need arrive."

"I may not be the strongest person in the world," I admitted, "But if you require my assistance with any lifting or transporting, I can help. Just, so long as it does pertain to adventuring or fighting."

"Yes, I read the specific request on the letter sent. Quite peculiar, but I can understand," Histoire did not go into detail, thankfully, "Do not fret, this job is strictly office-related."

"Thank you, Lady Histoire," I was grateful on the assurance, as I continued, "I read the list of things to do. Keeping the records clean and orderly, the printers in working condition, and assisting any visitors. Those are few things, correct?"

"Indeed," Histoire responded, "Though I recommend leaving the visitors to the main staff. Simply point the way if they ask for anything. I am sure you will do fine, though. Anyway, one of the main staff will show you around the main areas you will work at and how to clock in. I wish I could stay, but I need to locate Neptune soon."

"Oh? The goddess?" I asked in surprise, "Is it something important?"

"Yes, and no," the fairy sighed, "it's not that important for you to know. Just concentrate on your tasks and you'll be fine."

I smiled, "Thank you, Lady Histoire. I will not disappoint you."

"Best of luck, Thomas, and a warm welcome to Planeptune!" She cheerily said as she hovered away. Save for that awkward moment at the beginning, I thought the meeting went pretty well.

* * *

Plutia interrupted Thomas' POV flashback, "Hehe, Thomas was a little intern."

Uzume smirked, "Well, that certainly sounded like Histy, alright. However, I'm still waiting on the whole deal with Nepsy."

"I'm getting to that!" Thomas protested, "I just need to have the proper build here. It was important that I mentioned that conversation. Now, let me get back to the story-"

Plutia giggled, and did another silly flashback sound, bringing us back to...

* * *

 **Thomas' POV**

* * *

The morning was rather uneventful, for the most part. After the initial cleaning, I made my way back to the break room to have a little snack. No, it was not pudding, before you ask. I was just having an apple that I brought with me. The main staff already had their break, so I was alone, as I sat on the couch in the room. At least, I thought I was alone. As I leaned back on the couch, I accidentally moved it back a little, and bumped into a rather sleepy person.

"Aaah! The couch is alive! No, don't eat me! I'm not good for furniture!" I could hear the overacting behind me, and I stopped, standing up and turning to check on the noise behind me.

There was Neptune, the goddess of Planeptune, dressed in her usual hoodie and laying down on the floor, attacking the couch with a couple of slaps as she groggily woke up. I wasn't sure what she was doing down there at the time, though I would imagine it was one of those 'food comas' she would go on now and then, judging by some of the empty containers laying about. She was rather messy, judging by the littering she committed around her.

Of course, I was a newbie at the time, and I never really saw Neptune or Purple Heart before, so naturally I was perplexed to see a young girl sleeping in the break room, "Uh, what are you doing here, miss? Are you lost?"

"Aaah, so it was you who attacked me with the couch! You fiend, couldn't you tell I was taking a nice nap?" The girl complained as she stumbled up. As she came to, her eyes darted to see if anyone was around, or if the door was open, "I should report you for assault with a deadly couch! Don't you know it's rude to wake up a sleeping beauty such as myself?"

"Uhhh, if anyone should be reporting something, it should be me, lady," I retorted, "This room is for employees only. Do you work here? Because if not, I need to ask you to leave."

"Do I work here? **Do I work here?** Hahaha, aaaah, I feel like that's a question I often get asked," Neptune remarked, before answering, "But of course I work here! I just decided that I needed a little food time. And then some nap time. And follow that by rolling on the floor time. Maybe some video game time..."

I frowned, "Doesn't sound like a lot of work."

"I'll have you know that it is quite a workload I have going!" She continued to argue, "I'll have you also know I'm quite important around here, and I am often tasked with the most important things!"

"Must be some kid of some higher-up," I muttered to myself, "Just my luck to have my first shift be on a take your kids to work day."

"Whaaaaaat?" Neptune definitely heard what I said, "I am not some kid! I'll have you know that I am a classy, elegant woman!"

"Right. Nothing says elegance like sleeping on the break room floor, the classiest of floors," I sarcastically remarked.

"Don't knock it if you haven't tried it, newbie," Neptune snapped back, though I think she was also just joking around at this time.

"Well, your majesty, I did not wish to intrude on your holy nap time. For that, I offer my sincere apologies," I teased, though really, I wasn't going to be too mean to this lady.

"Well, alright, I'll accept your apology, although the couch will have to answer for its own actions," said Neptune, giving it a look like she was going to punish it later.

"In all seriousness though, sorry about that, didn't notice you there," I said with a shrug, "Though I don't think it is wise to be sleeping on the job."

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it, I am just a, simple, overworked young lady, trying to make the best of her situation!" Neptune said dramatically, taking my attempt at seriousness, well, not so seriously.

"Well, alright, fine, but if someone asks, I didn't see anything here. You are on your own," I said, not wanting to get tangled up in some office drama on the first day.

"Sounds good to me!" Neptune yawned as she stretched, "So, newbie, what's your name?"

"Uh, Thomas," I responded, before asking, "What is your name, if I may ask?"

"You did ask, and sure, my name is NE-" Neptune didn't really want to give the game away, "Nepu?"

I blinked at Neptune's stammer, then at what I thought the answer was, "Your name is Nepu?"

"Uh, yeah, totally! Nepu!" Neptune lied through her teeth, "My parents really liked the goddess, so they gave me a name similar as a homage."

"Ah," I wasn't going to question it, namely because I didn't want to be that insulting, "I guess it makes a bit of sense. Some people would be quite devoted to even name their children after a goddess."

"Exactly! Purple Heart is also my favorite goddess!" Neptune's ego started rearing its head, "I think she is the smartest, coolest, and most beautiful goddess in the world! I mean, that's why you came here, right, newbie? I bet you think she's really awesome!"

"Well, actually," I said nervously, "I kinda wanted to help the goddesses in some way, and I heard of all the nations, Planeptune needed the most help in getting some work done. So, um, here I am."

"Ooooh, I think I felt that shot," Neptune winced at my shot fired.

"You okay there, Nepu?" I asked the poorly-named lady who felt words hitting her ego.

"It's nothing, really," Neptune said with a little chuckle, "I guess not everyone who works here is some hyperdevoted person."

"I do owe a lot to the goddesses, though," I said quietly, "I guess it's just my way of returning a little favor."

"Oooo, some sort of mystery!" Neptune was quick to change gears, "Some sort of event that drastically changed your life or something?"

I touched the tip of my nose to tell her she was correct, but quickly added, "I'd rather hold off on that story, though. I need to get back to work, before the others start wondering if I'm asleep too."

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna hang out with a bad influence like me!" Neptune joked. At least, I thought she was.

"If you happen to actually work around here, I guess I'll see you later, Nepu," I said, putting away my own food and heading out.

"Sure! Later, er, uh, Tommy! I'll call you Tommy, is that fine?" Neptune rushed a nickname to me, since I heard she liked to do that.

I merely nodded and waved a quick goodbye as I returned to work. Over the next few days, I found myself meeting Neptune in the break room, thankfully not having any food comas or rolling on the floor. I guess she was expecting me, I don't know for sure. She was an odd, but friendly person to talk with, and while it wasn't a long break, it was nice just chatting with her.

Still, I wasn't really sure if she actually worked or did anything, as I never saw her around the office. She said she worked a lot but I never really saw her do any of this. It was concerning me, and I started wondering if I should ask someone about this. I decided, near the end of my first week, to talk to Histoire about it.

"You're saying there's a young girl who you've met in the break room during your time off, and you're not sure if she works here or if she's lost or something?" Histoire looked at me puzzled when I mentioned this to her.

"Yeah, I feel a little worried about her," I admitted, "I didn't want to pry in, and it's just my first week here, but over the while I've had chats with her. I mean, she was kinda weird, but she's been very nice, and I..."

"I understand your worry," Histoire consoled me, "Perhaps I should go meet with her and figure out what needs to be done. Can you tell me what you know of her?"

"Well, she said her name was Nepu," I got into the details, "She's a young girl with purple hair, purple eyes, wearing a hoodie and striped stockings. Says she really likes Purple Heart and seems to have a fondness for pudding and -" I stopped, seeing a stark change in Histoire's expression, "uh, Histoire? Are you okay?"

"So that's where she has been," Histoire said coldly, before changing her tune for me, "Oh, I'm fine. You may need to follow me for this. Do not worry, though, I do not blame you for this."

"Huh?" I looked confused, but she led me over to the break room, where I would be meeting Neptune at this time.

The fairy opened the door and a-has in triumph, finally spotting the CPU she had been looking for, "Neptune! So this is where you've been hiding during this time of day! Do you know that you should be doing some quest work right now?"

"Dah! Histy, I can explain," Neptune protested, but it was unlikely she was going to be persuaded.

"Neptune, it is one thing to be neglecting your duties, but to take advantage of someone else's unawareness is another. I want you to apologize to Thomas for your deception."

"Aww, I didn't mean to be rude, really Histy, I-"

"You should be glad he is behind me right now or I would be in a very, very angry mood," Histoire interrupted her again, as I was rather... um, what's the word for it? Startled? Dumbfounded? Devastated? Suffice to say, I took this revelation well!

 **"WHAT? THAT'S NEPTUNE?"** I think I spoke just the right amount of decibels on that, just enough to not cause anyone hearing loss while still being very, very loud.

"Uh, yeah, that's me! Goddess of Planeptune! Nice to meet you! Oh, and uh, sorry about the whole cover-up thing. So how'd she know? Did you squeal?" Neptune was still taking this lightly, teasing me.

"Thomas had been worried about you for the last while, but he should not be blamed for this. Do I make myself clear?" It was weird watching a little book fairy talking to the goddess this way, but I guess Neptune had been used to this. Well, to a point, since she immediately started heading off.

"Clear as mud," Neptune answered before saying to me, "Sorry to burst your bubble there about the goddess, too. I hope you can forgive me for this."

I just stood there stunned, as Neptune tilted her head at me, "I think I broke his entire worldview."

"Just get to work now, Neptune. I'll help Thomas here," Histoire sighed.

After I recovered and was offered me some therapy sessions, I still continued to work for the Basilicom, though I was forever jaded by the goddesses after finding out how lazy Neptune was! At least, that's what I thought for the next little while.

* * *

The flashback ended as Plutia was already asleep, and Uzume asked Thomas, "There's a little more to this?"

"Well, it was not the last time I saw Neptune. Even after that incident, she would show up from time to time to say hi. I think she just liked to talk to someone for a bit, if just to avoid some work," Thomas glanced away briefly, "Over time, I saw that Neptune had this sort of personality about her. Silly, outgoing, friendly. It was something I saw as she interacted with everyone. Even if she wasn't the hard worker Histoire wanted, I could see that she was an amazing goddess. I..."

Uzume lightly bopped Thomas on the forehead to interrupt him, "Ow!" Thomas winced and rubbed his forehead.

"By the way, that was for earlier, you jerk," Uzume said, before turning to the exit, "I'll be heading for bed now. I'll see ya two tomorrow."

"Oh, okay, g-goodnight," Thomas said softly, before Uzume stop at the exit.

"Oh, and Tomsy? Thanks for the story, by the way. I can see what you mean about Neptune. She is an amazing goddess," Uzume smiled, "Just be sure not to tell her that. Her ego is bad enough as is."

"I know too well," Thomas remarked, as they finished their conversation for the night.

* * *

The next morning, the group of three left the hotel, meeting together outside. While Uzume seemed to have gotten some energy back, and Plutia was still her normal, sleepy self, Thomas looked a little tired.

"Had some bad dreams, Tomsy?" Uzume asked as she greeted the two.

"Uh, no, I rarely if ever dream," Thomas said, feeling his back, "I think I just slept poorly. Or maybe it's just some fatigue setting in." He grumbled, "My body's not used to the stress of fighting."

"Maybe you're just out of shape?" Plutia said rather simply.

Thomas tried, and failed, not to pout, "I am not out of shape..."

Uzume switched the topic, clasping a hand over her fist, "Okay! First thing in the morning, let's check out the Guild! I can only hope they are not swamped after all that's happened."

"They probably are, but can't say I would blame anyone," Thomas said, before Plutia glanced over her shoulder at something that caught her eye.

"We can tell 'em at least that Narita's safe and accessible now,," Uzume recalled from earlier, "and then ask around town, see how everything's holding up here."

"Right," Thomas nodded, then blinked as Plutia was distracted, "We should be good to... go? Plutia?"

The ground suddenly gave a nice little shake, and Plutia pointed in a certain direction, "I see bad guys! We should stop them!"

"Huh?" Uzume said, looking at where Plutia pointed, "Why are there robots attacking that gift shop?"

"Robots are making me angry!" Plutia growled.

"Alright Plutia! Let's go check it out and stop those metallic monstrosities!" Uzume said, pumped up for another battle.

"Yeah!" Plutia was almost as pumped as she could be in her human form. So, she's only slightly more awake than usual.

"You two go right on ahead. I'll just stand over here, away from the fighting," Thomas tried to excuse himself.

"Tomsy! Come on, you come too! You need the experience points!" Uzume urged Thomas to follow.

"But-" Thomas bit his tongue, and sighed, "Alright, I'm following." He followed the two reluctantly, muttering, "I should've stayed in that crappy bed."

The two CPUs arrive at the commercial market, with people fleeing the scene as a trio of bulky robots were vandalizing a local gift shop, tossing a nearby broken pole into the window.

"Alright, you three think you can just do what you want like that? Not when Uzume Tennouboshi's here!" Uzume assumed a fighting stance.

"You're gonna make me really angry, if you keep this up!" Plutia warned, "You do not want to do that."

The robots initially ignored the warnings as Thomas caught up with the others. However, they suddenly stopped doing what they were doing, instead slowly swerving their heads towards the group. The three robots then turned their bodies towards the group, switching their hands into miniguns to aim at our protagonists.

"Oh crap," Uzume's eyes widened, as she leaped away from where she was, towards some cover. Plutia was quick, or at least quick enough, to find her own cover, while Thomas yelped in panic and fled to hide behind a large fountain. The three robots fired at the cover they hid behind, but the cover managed to hold.

Plutia was the first to transform, as being shot at was enough to flip her angry switch. Uzume would change as well, though she was still in hiding while Iris Heart jumped into the fray.

Not fearing their slow aiming system, Iris Heart would draw the fire of all three robots, using her flying to weave and dodge the bullets. She went right up to one of the robots and unleashed her sword-whip, entangling it with electricity before shredding it to pieces.

As the other two robots were distracted, Orange Heart readied her megaphone close by and bolted for another robot. She spun around it, unleashing a flurry of punches before taking her megaphone and blasting the robot with her own voice.

With the two down, the last robot was scrambling to aim its guns on at least one of the CPUs, leaving Thomas to sneak up behind it. Taking his sharp and pointy stick of justice, he jumped onto the robot's back, climbing up as he tried to stay on and avoid the arms reaching for him. He got up to the head, and using the stick as a makeshift lever, tried to dig in between the cracks where the head met the rest of the body. It took a lot of effort and struggle, but eventually, with some rather amazing luck on his part, Thomas managed to sever the head from the robot's body.

That wasn't quite good enough, though. The decapitation did little to fully stop the robot, as it shook off a disoriented Thomas, who fell over in front of the bot. Even though it could not 'see', its guns were aiming just close enough that it could very well shoot him...

 **"Demonic Inferno!"**

Before Thomas had a chance to see his life flash before his eyes, again, the robot was engulfed in multiple fiery explosions, enough to finish it off for good. Thomas, saved by the flames of hell apparently, decided the best course of action was to flop on his back, not quite fainting but coming really close.

The sky above was still crackling with electricity, as Thomas could hear footsteps approaching. He did not move, instead just trying to recover from the bit of shock. Soon, he was greeted with the face of a pink-haired nurse, looking over his body for anything.

"He seems fine, just a bit of shock," Thomas could hear the voice, at least.

"That's a relief. I was taking my chances there with that shot," he heard another voice, somewhat familiar, call out, "I am a little surprised to see him out here, though."

"Iffy! Compa!" The voice of a de-transformed Plutia cheered, rushing as fast as a sleepy Plutia could run.

"P-Plutia? Uzume? What are you two doing here?" Thomas could hear 'Iffy' as he slowly recovered, and sat himself up.

The nurse, Compa, made sure Thomas took his time getting up, "Careful now. You had a little close call there. Lucky for you none of the robot parts flew off and hit you!"

Compa was great at reassurances! Okay, maybe not, but Thomas did appreciate the observation, nodding slowly as he got up.

"Hey, what was with that act back there? You almost got yourself killed!" The brunette rescuer of his, the Guild agent IF, said bluntly.

Thomas, having no real defense against that, said the only thing he could say, with a downcast expression, "... Thank you, IF."

"You're welcome," IF kept her serious demeanor, "but you should leave the fighting to the professionals. I can't believe I just said that to you of all people, Thomas, but everything's gone insane lately!"

"Cut him a little slack, Ifsy," Uzume protested, feeling some guilt from goading Thomas earlier, "The three of us just came all the way from Narita, and we weren't sure if there was anyone else here."

"Narita?" IF looked confused, "That can't be. Narita's been cut off since this stupid sky falling incident." She looked over to where the 'barrier' would be, only to see it no longer there, "Wait, it's gone! How did that happen?"

"Abracadabra!" Plutia grinned, "We happened!"

Before IF could continue, Uzume interrupted, "I'll explain what I've learned from all this. I mean, Thomas could, but I think he's a little out of it."

"We should head inside to check on things, Iffy," Compa insisted.

"Alright, let's go then," IF said, motioning the others to follow her to another building not too far away.

* * *

Inside, as Thomas was laid to rest on a chair, Uzume tried her best to explain what she learned to IF and Compa. Exposition away!

"A firewall, huh? What a strange thing to be hitting Gamindustri," IF frowned, "But you have managed to take down one of those barriers around here. I'm glad for that."

"Why were these robots attacking, anyway?" Plutia asked, her mind still fixed on those things that irritated her.

"No idea," IF grimaced, "I never even seen those kind of robots before. I mean, we have many robots in our world these days now, but those were definitely not the friendly type. I don't recognize any nation that could've made them if they were military."

Compa spoke, "Ever since that firewall came down, we've been seeing a few robots here and there, attacking citizens and destroying property. The Guild here has managed to secure most of the city, but sometimes they still show up."

"As if things weren't bad enough," IF continued, looking off into the hallway of the room they were all in, as a few guards are stationed outside, "We can't even get into Planeptune with a barrier up between this city and there."

Uzume piped in, "That's where me and Plutsy will come in! We can take down that thing!"

IF nodded, "Yeah, you said that was the plan. I can only hope Histoire and Nep are okay."

"You haven't seen either of them?" Uzume asked, as IF shook her head in the negative.

"No," IF sighed, "But... we did find Nepgear, and she's not doing so well."

"Nepgear?" Thomas spoke meekly, "She's not hurt bad, is she?"

Is Nepgear alright? Will IF and Compa explain what happened? Why are there evil robot vandals? What of Neptune and Histoire? Why is my chicken salad a little dry? Find out maybe a few of the answers next time!


	6. ACT I: Saving Miss Nepgear

Nepgear, the CPU candidate of Planeptune, the little sister of Neptune, had been kept safe in a building held by guards with IF and Compa checking up on her from time to time. She was put in bed ever since she was found unconscious on the outskirts of Haneda City, just near the firewall barrier that separated the city from the path to Planeptune. Though she's stable, her life signs are pretty weak, and she doesn't appear to be waking up any time soon.

"And that is my diagnosis!" Compa exclaimed, "Thank you, Mr. Narrator!"

Um, you're welcome? I guess she didn't want to repeat herself.

Thomas, recovered from his bit of shock, still was downcast as he asked of IF and Compa, "Do you have any idea on what happened here?"

"Another mystery, I'm afraid," IF sighed, "After that firewall dropped, we stumbled upon her outside while trying to figure out what to do with the barriers. My best theory was that she may have attacked the barrier head-on."

"Ge-Ge's been like this since we found her, and I've been trying all I could," Compa spoke, clearly worried about her dear friend, "Potions, life fragments, none of those seem to work. I can only think of some experimental medicines to try and revive her."

"Compa says there's a herbal recipe she could try out," IF noted, "But the only ingredient she doesn't have, unfortunately, grows in the shadow of the mountains between here and Narita."

"Fortunately," Uzume said with a tinge of hope in her eyes, "We just got rid of the barrier there! We could go get it for you!"

"We can save Neppy Junior, then?" Plutia was also hopeful.

"We're coming along, too," IF said, "I know where to go, and Compa here knows of the precise herb for it."

"Is it safe to leave Nepgear lying here alone?" Thomas asked, as he looked sadly upon the unconscious CPU candidate.

"She won't be alone," IF said, gesturing out in the hallway with the guards out there holding out, "I think one of them also has some medical experience, so they can keep Nepgear stable and safe until we get back."

"I don't want to leave Ge-Ge," Compa said with her hands going up to her chest, "But I wanna help her in any way I can. Please, let me come with you all."

"I'm not gonna say no," Thomas said quickly, "I know you two are Neptune's two best friends, and Nepgear's friends as well. I would not pass the opportunity to bring you along to help."

"Well, I was going to go whether you agreed or not," IF pointed at Thomas, "And someone's gotta make sure you don't do something crazy like what happened earlier."

"You have a way with words, IF," Thomas murmured, "But I'll gladly accept your help."

"So, how far back do we have to travel?" Uzume asked, "It's not all the way back in Otori Cave, is it?"

"Not that far," IF said, "It's in a fork in the road between here and Narita. The pathway that leads to a dead end."

"We certainly passed that on the way here," Thomas recalled, "Never really understood why there would be a path."

"It's a gathering spot for some adventurers," IF said as she adjusted the sleeves on her long blue coat, "Sometimes, you find a couple of herbs or minerals there for recipes like this. If alchemy was a big thing around here, I'm sure the materials there would be a gold mine."

"I didn't take you as someone interested in alchemy!" Compa said in surprise, "I bet you have a big magic cauldron back at home!"

"Yeah, that sounds like something Ifsy might do!" Uzume joined in, "Maybe she has a magic talking book that tells her the secret arts of alchemy!"

"Ooh, maybe it's the demons from hell that whisper dark secrets to her," Compa was getting into it now, "telling her of forbidden alchemy that should never be used! **Do this and free me from my prison, Iffy! Bwahaha!"**

"Oh can it, both of you," IF flustered, as Plutia giggled at the sight, "I was just making an observation. That's all. Let's be serious here, and go get that herb for Nepgear's sake, alright?"

"Let's get to it, then," Thomas said, still looking a little worried as he started to head off. The others soon followed, leaving Nepgear alone in the room, faintly breathing, providing the small bit of hope the group has to revive her.

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Thomas has a model! The little chibi version of him has him standing with his hands in his hoodie's pockets, looking puzzled. The message says, "I don't understand this tome."**

* * *

In the city's plaza, Thomas set IF aside to speak with her. He opened his inventory, and pulled out the tome he'd been carrying since the adventure began, "IF, I think you might be interested in this."

IF blinked, "Huh? What is it you got there?"

"It's the book containing information on this firewall here that I got from U-" He caught himself for a second, "That I got from the former goddess when I started this adventure."

"Is that so?" IF said as she rubbed her chin, the long sleeve of her coat dropping a bit, "Well, it certainly looks pretty old."

"Yeah," Thomas said as it had seen better days, even if it wasn't in bad condition, "But I really want you to take a look at this."

He flipped over to a page in the book, the page with the instructions on how to dissolve a part of the firewall, and turned it over for IF to have a peak.

"Hmmm? Okay, what do I need to see?" IF questioned him.

"I could understand the first couple of steps here, but this last one is written in some bizarre code I can't read," he pointed to the weird symbols and scribbles that had been plaguing him earlier, with the swirl mark and the Dogoo face among them.

"I can see n-what the hell?" IF looked at the strange language, before saying quite bluntly, "I think I know what it means, but that's crazy!"

"You too?" Thomas was starting to be incensed by the fact that even IF could read this, "How in Gamindustri can you read that?"

"It... it's the same kind of scribbling non-sense I see Neptune use!" IF said with her face just in as much shock as he was, "Are you sure this book is old?"

"Yes, but, Neptune? What does she have to do with this?" Thomas continued looking puzzled, which made the chibi version of him look rather appropriate.

"Compa? Could you come over here for a second and look at this?" IF looked over to Compa, who just happened to be nearby.

"Oh? Do you need me for anything, Iffy?" Compa bounced in, perky as per usual with regards to her.

"You can read this too, right?" IF said, even if she had a hard time comprehending what was going on before her.

"Hmm? What, those weird scribbles? Lemme see," Compa looked over the page, then smiled, "Yep! It said for the CPU to execute program f-w-erase-dot-e-x-e! And then there's a Dogoo face at the end!"

"Yeah, I don't think it stands for anything," IF remarked, before a chipper Uzume interrupted her.

"No, the Dogoo means something," Uzume remarked, "It's just a little reminder of where we put some of our CPU commands. Sometimes we just need a symbol for that."

 **"How did you figure that out?"** Both IF and Thomas lost it by this point. They even said the same thing at the same time. Uzume just sheepishly smiled and shrugged.

"It looks like Neptune's handwriting," Compa said, which did nothing to ease the minds of the two, "She doesn't write very well, so she scribbles a lot and we had to make sense of it."

"But that's impossible! This book is supposed to be I don't know how old! And how come Uzume can read it too?" IF couldn't wrap her head around it.

"I can read it too!" Plutia exclaimed excitedly from behind the group where she had been sitting for a bit.

"This can't be happening!" IF was just gobsmacked by all of this.

"Does that mean that Neptune was really writing some sort of ancient CPU language? That makes no freakin' sense! And how come I can't read it when you two can?" Thomas referred to both IF and Compa as he was still upset.

"We just kinda deciphered it after a while," IF felt the wind slowly leaving her sails.

"That makes no sense!" Thomas was just complaining at this point, still fuming, "I can't read any of this... this crazy Nepspeak! **AUGH!"**

Thomas, sick of the whole ordeal by this point, just closed the tome and slammed it down into his inventory. It's rather cushy in there, so it should be fine, but Thomas stormed off ahead of the group, looking to vent his frustration somewhere on his own.

"He took that pretty hard," Compa said, "I'm sure he can translate it all eventually."

"I think it's more than just that, Compa," IF sighed, feeling defeated as much as Thomas was enraged, "I think I can feel a bit of my sanity go too."

* * *

As the group began everyone's favorite thing to do in RPGs, backtracking, Compa walked over beside Thomas and offered a bottle to drink.

"Here, I think you might need this," Compa offered to him out of the blue.

Thomas, surprised, nodded, "Um, okay. Th-thanks," He took the bottle and gave it a look, "What is it, exactly?"

"A little pick-me-up," Compa beamed, "I call it the Compa Charger! It's just a few things I usually mix up for me and Iffy whenever we go adventuring. I can see you're fatigued, and as a nurse, I can't bear to see you wear yourself out. So I made some for you! Go on, drink up!"

"A-a-alright," Thomas was not quite sure what to make of the drink, though it did not look like it was going to dissolve his insides. He eventually decided to take the medicine, taking a little sip before drinking a little more.

Compa was staring at him, waiting for his thoughts on the drink. Thomas, realizing this, spoke, "It, it tastes good, actually. Not bad at all. Has a bit a sweet honey texture."

"I'm glad to hear that!" Compa said happily, "I wanted to make something that both me and Iffy could enjoy before we do any fighting. Do you feel any better?"

"I'm starting to feel a little better," Thomas admitted, smiling softly, "Th-thanks, Compa."

"It was my pleasure, Mr. Tom-Tom!" Compa said happily.

"Mr. Tom-Tom?" Thomas said confusedly at the nickname he was given.

"Maybe that's a bit much," Compa said as she got to thinking more about it, "How about just Tom-Tom?"

"Uh, okay? It's a... unique nickname," Thomas didn't want to lie, as Compa beamed proudly.

"I think it sounds nice," Compa assured him, or at least attempted to assure him, "Now try not to overexert yourself when we're fighting, okay? Don't want you to get all pooped again."

Thomas nodded, sighing, "I got carried away there. I... I don't know how to keep up with the goddesses whenever they fight."

"I can sympathize with that," Compa said, "Me and Iffy have been fighting with Nep-Nep, Ge-Ge, and the others for a long while. Sometimes, I feel like I'm a little behind everyone."

"It must be rough," Thomas glanced over at the two goddesses, who are chatting with IF about their respective dimensions, "Having to fight so much for so long."

Compa nodded, "It is. But, I want to help my best friends so much. So, even if I am not the best fighter, I will do what I can to support them. You should do what you can to support them, too, even if it's just a little."

Thomas smirked a little, "Well, I already have my faith in them. But yeah, I suppose I should know my limits."

Compa hummed affirmatively, "And remember, we're here to support you, too."

Thomas murmured, "Thank you. I will remember that." He felt a little better after that, and Compa seemed pleased with having helped someone.

* * *

The group made their way to the fork in the road from Haneda to Narita. The passage moved north, and they found themselves going in between large rock formations.

During the trip, Thomas, not pushing himself during the fights with monsters, observed the others as they fought, trying to understand their fighting styles. He focused more on the new allies, IF and Compa, as he was hoping for some more conventional fighting from those two.

"W-w-what's with the big needle?" Thomas hesitated as he saw Compa wielding her weapon of choice, which was a giant needle.

"Oh! Well, some people are afraid of needles when they go to the hospital," Compa commented, holding up the needle to show it off, "and a big needle is just what this nurse ordered to scare those meanie Mr. Monsters!"

"Uh, well," Thomas stammered, "I can't argue with that, actually. It does look rather frightening."

Compa smiled, "Yup! It's also very sharp and pointy!"

Thomas thought for a second, "I guess you would wield it like some sort of spear, then?"

Compa nodded, as IF come in to chat too, "How are you two holding up?"

"Fine so far, I think," Thomas said, deciding not to look to much at the giant novelty needle, "Just trying to understand everyone's fighting."

"Oh? Learned anything?" IF asked, curious about Thomas' thoughts.

Thomas sighed, "Nothing that I can explain easily. Everyone here is so... unorthodox. You're probably the most conventional fighter I've seen so far, IF."

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I guess I would be," IF said as she compared her push daggers, known as katars, to the others, "I think what I have is pretty unique, though."

"I won't deny that," Thomas said, "You wield them pretty well."

"Yeah yeah," IF said with a smirk, "No need to suck up to me there."

"I think it's quite cool that you wield those big blades!" Uzume cut in, "It's like you're doing a little dance when you fight!"

"R-Really?" IF turned a little red, "I guess my fighting style does have a lot of movement like that..."

Plutia, not wanting to be left out of this, and eager to compliment IF, chimed in, "I like it when you push the blade right in between their eyes! It looks really funny when you do it on a Dogoo!"

IF winced, "Uh, Plutia? That wasn't helpful."

Plutia giggled, "Well, I just wanted to say you looked cool too, Iffy!"

"I guess, coming from Plutia, that is a compliment. So, uh, thanks, everyone," IF said, straining a little.

"Oh Iffy, you're so cute when you get all flustered!" Compa said happily.

"I am not flustered!" IF protested, not really making her case.

Horsebirds were a more common sight around the area they were at. Perhaps they enjoyed the heights the rock formations provide, and have little horsebird nests where they lay their horsebird eggs. Wait, do horsebird lay eggs or do they... why am I asking about the intricacies of a horsebird? This is the part of the script where they would encounter a mini-boss or some other enemy. I mean, it wouldn't be much of a quest if they didn't meet any hardship on the way.

"I found it!" Compa exclaimed, rushing over to shady little corner to pick at some mossy grass-like patch. Well, uh, I guess this was one of those exceptions?

"Incoming robots! Coming at our six!" Uzume shouted to the group, causing them to turn around, as Compa rush to scoop the last of the ingredient into her inventory.

Ah, there we go. I was beginning to worry for a second.

"What is their deal?" IF complained, readying her blades, "Going out of their way just to head us off?"

"Maybe they heard we destroyed some of their buddies?" Thomas theorized, "But I'm guessing that'll have to wait. Huh? What in Gamindustri are those things?"

As the robots got closer, they didn't appear humanoid at all. Instead, they were definitely more of a vehicular size. More specifically -

"Robot motorcycles?" IF scoffed. Yes, that, thanks Iffy. "What kind of bizarre sci-fi non-sense is this?"

"Aim for the wheels!" Thomas was quick to pinpoint a possible weakness. Or he had a thing against tires.

"If Ge-Ge were here, she'd want to look into these things once we were done," Compa remarked.

"Let's make short work of them, then!" Uzume called out, "A little extra present when she's better!"

"I don't like robots. They're not as fun to break," Plutia complained.

"Let's go already!" IF said as she charged in first, with the others following suit.

Initially, the battle was a little difficult, with the robots having a lot more speed and evading their attacks. Oddly enough, Thomas was correct in picking out the wheels first, even though he had to stay back for the most part. It was tricky to even get near them with his weapon, as the bikes were armed with little laser cannons that fired repeatedly at their enemies.

Luckily for the group, IF found her magic spells to be of use, especially the ones that shoot out of the ground. Whether it was Demonic Inferno or La Delphinus, it would be enough to either demolish the robot or stop the robot in its tracks. She would catch on to this, using these spells to cause some 'traffic jams' with the robot attackers. This made the battle much easier, and the goddesses would be quick to jump in to finish off any stragglers.

"Stupid robots get to use motorcycles," IF grumbled after the battle, sitting on a rock and folding her arms, "Meanwhile, we gotta walk all the way back to Haneda City..."

"You did great, Iffy!" Compa said as she leaped to hug her old friend.

"Damnit Compa, I just wanted to complain for a second!" IF complained, but she didn't seem to resist.

"Oh don't be so grouchy!" Compa replied, before letting her go, "I was just so happy!"

"That takes care of those things!" Plutia said, "Can we go back now? I don't like it here."

"We should probably head back as soon as possible. No telling if more of those robots show up again," Thomas said as he was concerned, not wishing to fight more.

"It'd be much easier if we had motorcycles..." IF grumbled again.

* * *

Back at Haneda City, after a nice long **walk** (sorry Iffy), Compa began working on the odd recipe she hoped would work on Nepgear. As that went on, the others were seated near the bed Nepgear was resting in.

"She's still breathing, at least. It really is hard to see her like this," Uzume was first to speak, trying to hold back as she had great concern for one of her best friends.

IF rubbed her eyes a little, "Y-yeah, seeing this has been hard on all of us."

"I liked Neppy Jr. when she was full of energy," Plutia pouted, "I hope Compa's medicine will work so we can play again."

IF glanced at Plutia but didn't want to add any more to that. Instead, she looked further away to see Thomas at the other end, holding his hands together and closing his eyes.

"You still do prayer from time to time, Thomas?" IF simply asked.

Thomas looked up, "My faith didn't fade away when I left the Basilicom, IF. I... I'm worried too."

IF smiled a bit, "I didn't mean to offend. Go on."

Thomas nodded a little, and went back to his silent prayer.

"Okay, that should be all I can do, now I gotta try and feed it to her," Compa said, the green concoction now finished, "Alright, open wide, Ge-Ge. Down the hatch it goes!" She had no problem as Nepgear seemed compliant enough to have her mouth opened. Compa made sure not to dump the whole thing down her throat, instead hoping a little bit at a time will do the trick.

Compa sat down nearby, and simply watched Nepgear for any sign of change. IF and the other goddesses leaned in closer to also look for any sign. After a long period of silence, Compa looked at the others, "I don't know if it worked."

IF, trying to put a positive outlook, said, "It's still too early to tell, that's all. Maybe we should wait a while longer."

Thomas continued to pray, then sighed softly and stopped, "I was hoping maybe my prayers would reach her, to bring her back but... um..."

"I-it's okay," Uzume said sadly, "I guess we should probably wait, like Ifsy said."

"Oh poopie," Plutia grumbled, before getting up, "But I guess I can take another nap."

"I dunno," Uzume frowned, getting up herself and looking to Thomas, "If Nepgear doesn't wake up, what should we do then?"

"We may have to go to Planeptune without her," Thomas held his chin up while still seated, "Maybe once we get to Histoire and Neptune-"

"Ne! Ne-... Nep... Nep-tune..." The group immediately stopped moving as they heard a familiar voice muttering from the bed.

"Did you hear that?" IF asked the others, not sure if she was delusional or not.

"Nep-tune... Neptune!" The group jumped back a little as Nepgear suddenly sat up from her bed, as though jolted from a dream, "Aaah! Huh? Where am I?" She blinked repeatedly, trying to readjust her eyes, "And why does it feel like someone poured algae down my throat? Uuurgh..."

"Nepgear?" IF's eyes widened at the sight of her friend reacting comically to the bad tasting medicine.

"Huh? IF? Is that you?" Nepgear squinted her eyes to try and look in IF's direction. However, before she could get her bearings...

"Gearsy!" "Ge-Ge!" "Nepgear!" "Neppy Junior!"

The four girls, excited to see their friend up, leaped to embrace Nepgear in a group hug.

"W-wha? What's going on? Gah! Don't squeeze me so hard!" Nepgear complained, her eyes closing tightly as she tried to breathe again.

"Oh, sorry! Uzume was just so happy to see Gearsy again! Er, ahem, I mean, we've all missed you so much!" Uzume calmed herself a bit.

"Nepgear, next time you're off doing something crazy, be sure to call us first! We'll always be here for you, alright?" IF let go a little, but she was still a little clingy.

"It's nice to see you again, Neppy Junior!" Plutia laughed, though she was incredibly clingy, "Let's go get Neppy back together! We'll show alllll those meanies not to mess with us!"

"I'm so glad it worked!" Compa said excitedly, "I wasn't certain but it worked! Sorry about the bad taste, though, Ge-Ge. I promise to give you something much sweeter next time you're unconscious!"

Nepgear could breathe a little easier, though she was still overwhelmed by the sudden group hug, "Uh? Uzume? IF? Compa? P-Plutia? Oh, I'm sorry to have worried all of you so much. Was I out for that long?"

"We'll catch up on things a little later, Nepgear, but for now, we're all just happy you're back with us," IF said, "Well, that, and I think Plutia's got me trapped with her hugging."

Plutia giggled, as the girls kept going back and forth excitedly. Meanwhile, Thomas, sitting on the other side of the room, breathed a huge sigh of relief. It looked like his prayer was answered, after all.

* * *

 **NEPSTATION!**

* * *

Today's guests on this little show that's all about being separate from the main story are Neptune and Thomas, sitting at the television news-styled desk.

Neptune cheered, "Hey guys! It's me, Neptune, your host for the returning Nepstation!"

Thomas waved a little as Neptune continued, "And this here's my guest, Mr. OC himself, Tommy."

"Uh, h-hello."

"Camera shy already? Come on now, a little more enthusiasm!" Neptune exclaimed, "If you're gonna share the stage with me, you've gotta put more energy in!"

"I think you have enough energy for the both of us, Neptune," Thomas remarked.

"Anyway, we're getting close to the end of Act I, and my little sister Nepgear is alright! I'm glad to see that!" Neptune bounced a bit in her seat for joy.

"I am too!" Thomas beamed, "Now we can all work together and go to Planeptune! I sure hope you'll be alright, though!"

"Of course I'll be fine!" Neptune laughed, "It's not like our series would do something insane like kill me off or anything!"

Thomas just turned his head slowly to Neptune, with a simple message to be seen in the text, "..."

"Anyway, I'm sure to show for really realsies soon!" Neptune spoke, "But first, we need to talk about what's also happening soon!"

"We find Histoire?" Thomas guessed.

"Well, I guess there's that to look forward to at some point perhaps, but no, it involves our solo male lead here," Neptune said.

Thomas blinked, "Oh? What is it, Neptune?"

Neptune smirked, "Glad you asked that! Because we're going to be playing a bit of the love game, if you know what I mean?"

Thomas blushed, "W-w-wat? Neptune, that's extremely forward of you!"

"No, not here, silly, in the story!" Neptune corrected herself, before clearing her throat, "Ahem! Over the course of this story, we'll have a little Nepstation break like this one! After that, you will be reading a few little Chirper messages from some, but not all potential interests for Mr. OC here. From there, feel free to jump on the hype train for whatever pairing, or just the event. Whatever you like!"

"So, is there like a poll or something for this?" Thomas queried.

"Not really," Neptune replied, "It's not that kind of interaction. Just try to be the most convincing with your arguments. Maybe message the author or be all like 'lulz, I think Thomas should go with Gary the guard' in the reviews! Kidding, he's not an option! But all of this may play into who Thomas eventually ends up pairing with. So feel free to urge your favorite ship to sail! It may also change the ending, if the author manages to get that far."

"Uh, yeah, that's quite a thing, although it is weird that other people are deciding my own fate here," Thomas said in a worried tone.

"It's a video game series. We're used to it by now," Neptune said, before she remembered, "Oh! I almost forgot! Even though you could lead the way on a possible ship, it's also possible to say Thomas shouldn't get to pair with anyone! Or, as I like to call it, the 'canon' ending!"

"Ow. That wasn't very nice," Thomas looked a little sad by that.

"I'm just saying there is the option! You're our little OC experiment for this story, Tommy. Got a problem, ask the author." Neptune noted, before cheering up again, "That's all from me and Tommy here today! Be sure to tune in next time for another installment of Nepstation!"

Some canned applause could be heard, as Thomas looked surprise by the sudden noise. Oh well, fade to black!

* * *

 **Chirper events detected!**

 **Plutia's chirper icon appears, with the message, "Yay! Now we can play again!"**

 **IF's icon appears, with the following, "Communications seem to have gotten down too. Just our luck."**

 **Compa's icon appears, saying quite simply, "Glad to be of help!"**

 **Nepgear's icon appears, with the solemn message, "If only I was a little stronger..."**

 **(Sorry, no Uzume here, but she shall be up sometime soon!)**


	7. ACT I: Events In Haneda City

**("I have to be honest. This part with the events was probably the first time I felt a little exhausted after writing. Some parts were a bit tricky. Ah well, hope you enjoy this huge chapter, all the same!" - Yours truly, the author of this non-sense.)**

* * *

 **"Yay! Now we can play again!" (Plutia)**

* * *

A long while after Nepgear had recovered from her ailment, she and Uzume were generally chatting in a room of the building they were staying at. Also, there were the other girls in the group, as Thomas was away to fill up on adventuring supplies in the market.

"So Gearsy, how's that big project of yours you've kept under wraps going on?" Uzume asked, curious.

"Oh! Well I think I got most of the kinks out, although I really need to spruce the new lab I finally built!" Nepgear seemed excited.

"A new lab? So you're really getting into mechanics now?" Uzume's eyes widened at the progress her friend made.

"I'm not really much of a builder, but I have a place to work now! It'll be great for any new inventions." Nepgear said happily.

"That's amazing, Gearsy! So, when do I get to take a peek at it?" Uzume was pumped.

"I don't really have a timetable," Nepgear flustered a little, "I want to make sure my prototype is finished, first." Nepgear twiddled her fingers as she thought about the whole thing.

As that discussion was going on, a sign of dangerous portents came as Plutia, somehow being stealthy, snuck up behind the two, and was slowly rising up from the ground. If anyone was to make a guess, she was either crawling or crouching along the floor.

IF, who had been seated with Compa at a table, was sipping a little tea, before she noticed Plutia's movement, "Compa? I think we need to head outside for a while."

"Hmm? Really, Iffy? Is there something you need right away or-" Compa was soon surprised as IF helped her up and was pushing her just enough so they can get going.

"Believe me, Compa, some outdoor exercise will do us both some good," IF decided the tea was not worth saving, and the two soon exited, though Compa was not sure what was up with her friend.

"Hmm? The others just went out for a bit. I wonder why they didn't ask us to come with?" Uzume turned her head toward the exit.

The sound of a transforming CPU could be heard behind the two, but it was Nepgear who started to tense up.

"Ohhhhh Neppy Juuuuuniorrrrr. It has been wayyyy too long since we last got to play together," the sinister tone of one Iris Heart was enough to freeze up the CPU candidate.

"Uh oh, I recognize that crazy lady's voice from earlier," Uzume was next to tense up, this time turning to see the CPU, and taking a defensive stance.

"Well, aren't you the mystery solver, Uzume? I really do like those spunky, young detectives. Perhaps you would willing to play a little game with the two of us?"

"Run, Uzume!" Nepgear pleaded, "It's too late for me now, but you can save yourself!"

"What? And leave my best friend behind to some sadistic creep! N-n-no way!" Uzume was putting on her usual bravado, even as already she was starting to regret it, "I don't care if you are a CPU, you let go of Gearsy this instant!"

"Oh, someone to come rescue her dear friend! I actually really, really like that," Plutia laughed, "It just warms me up all over my body to see friendship be taken so seriously! Tell you what, Uzume. We play a little game where you try and rescue your dear friend here! Give it everything you've got!"

Iris Heart was grinning from ear to ear as she stepped ahead, Uzume stepping back as they circle the room, "You want to save your friend, yes? And you would do everything in your power to do that, riiight?"

Nepgear shook her head in a quiet plea for Uzume to back down, but Uzume is a very stubborn CPU, and she glared defiantly at Plutia, "That's right. I'm not going to back away while you do whatever weird things you want to do! I, Uzume Tennouboshi, shall be the one to finally stop you!"

Iris Heart was absolutely thrilled by this, "Oh yes! This is fantastic! Neppy Junior, your friend here is an absolute treasure! I can see why you two get along so well!"

"Plutia, please, we don't need to do this," Nepgear said, pleaded for Plutia to put off play time for another day... hopefully never. That, however, was not likely to happen. Plutia had a lot of stress to burn, and she missed playing with her friend, even if her way of showing affection was... something you would expect from a villain, quite frankly.

"But Neppy Junior, I missed you so much," Iris Heart said joyfully, "And Uzume here is so kind enough to back you up. I really want to see just how far she'll go! So come on, Orange Heart, show me how much your friendship is worth to you! Don't hold back! Because I won't hold back, either!"

"Uhhh, I think I may have screwed it up here," Uzume murmured to Nepgear.

Nepgear sighed, "It's okay. I'm glad you are here by my side for this, at least."

Plutia seemed even more pleased by the two, "Oh, this is just so sweet! I can hardly contain my excitem-"

A door suddenly opened behind them, and the three were interrupted by the sound of Thomas re-entering the room, checking his inventory.

"Hey, I'm back from shopping. I got extra supplies for the voyage to Planeptune," Thomas said as he dug through the items he purchased, "I got a bit of local tea for when we're at another hotel and need something to drink. I got some water bottles for the trip to keep hydrated. I got a couple of basic battle items, some potions, antidotes, some Dr. Nepper, and a bunch of Nep Bulls. Never really liked Nep Bulls, but it's there if you want one later. I'm keeping one Dr. Nepper for myself though! Anyway, let's see, there's also a couple of tangerines I managed to get at the market. I'm surprised because Lowee is currently cut-off because of the..."

He noticed that no one had been speaking this entire time, and looked up from his inventory. Upon seeing IF and Compa no longer around, he turned to see the transformed Iris Heart and the two other, scared and confused by the turn of events.

Thomas' expression soured upon looking at Iris Heart, and both he and her exchanged an odd, blank stare. This staring contest gave a faint hope for the two CPUs. Perhaps Thomas had found a little backbone. Perhaps someone would finally step up to Iris Heart and be unintimidated by her! Perhaps Thomas would be able to save the girls this time in their time of need, to be saved from Plutia's crazy play time! Perhaps... oh, who are we kidding?

The two continued to stare, as Thomas closed his inventory, all the while tracing his previous footsteps and stepping backward, soon opening the door, and closing it in front of him.

"He... He bailed?" Nepgear asked, puzzled.

 **"Tomsy, you freakin' coward!"** Uzume fumed her frustration out loud at Thomas leaving her to Plutia, yet again.

Plutia's blank stare soon turned into a frown, and Iris Heart shook her head, "Such a shame. Part of me was looking forward to that. Ah well, it would not have been fun playing with an already broken man like him."

Nepgear looked even more confused, "What? Broken?"

Plutia sighed, "Too bad. I kinda liked him. Anyway, where were we? Oh yes. Uzume, please help me out here, and show me some of that fire you had earlier. If you can't, well, don't worry, I'll think of some way to bring it back out." Iris Heart smiled once more, as the two screamed out in fear of their impending doom.

* * *

A few hours later, both Uzume and Nepgear were sitting by the wall, feeling extremely sore after their little session. Plutia now joined IF, Compa, and Thomas at the table, drinking some of the tea that Thomas purchased earlier. Actually, it was just Compa enjoying her tea, for the most part, being blissfully unaware of what happened. Plutia had slumped her head on the table, taking a little nap, happily dreaming away. IF and Thomas, meanwhile, just had gloomy faces on, not really thirsty.

"I take it you know about Plutia's, er, other side through Neptune, huh," Thomas asked the downtrodden IF.

"A little from her, but I also heard it from my other self in Ultradimension," IF said, "Seeing my face like that when talking about it said all I needed to know. How about you?"

"Mostly from Neptune, although she would dodge the more intense details, obviously," Thomas noted, "I pieced it together after reading some of the other accounts from the reports afterward."

"I just want to ask again. She is on our side, right?" IF muttered.

"I am both sure of that, and unsure of that," Thomas sighed.

"Y-y-yeah, I get what you mean there," IF said, as the two dropped their heads further.

"Tomsy," Uzume winced, barely able to get up, "Could you, come over here a minute? I need to tell you something."

"Uh, sure?" Thomas said as he moved off his chair and went over close to the two sore CPUs, "Do you need anything?"

Even though Uzume was sore, she was still capable of lifting her arm to lightly bop Thomas on the head once more, "Ow." Thomas grimaced as Uzume's fist remained on top of Thomas' head for a few seconds. Uzume just let it drop on its own afterward.

"... Asshole," Uzume groaned weakly.

"I deserved that," Thomas muttered to himself.

"Don't get mad at him, Uzume," Nepgear said quietly, "You should've fled too."

"Not now, Gearsy," Uzume complained, "Too sore to even retort."

"You can bop me on the head whenever you're feeling better, Uzume," IF consented, "I knew and fled as well."

Compa, meanwhile, was just enjoying her tea and looking outside, "If it wasn't for the firewall, I would say it looks like a wonderful day today!"

Plutia smiled, whilst asleep, murmuring, "It is a nice day outside! Ehehe..."

Compa smiled, and played a little with the sleepy one's hair.

* * *

 **"Communications seem to have gotten down too. Just our luck." (IF)**

* * *

At the Haneda City Guild, Thomas was on a phone connection to Narita Village, talking to Gary, "Yeah, things seem to be secure for now here. How about over there? Things still quiet? ... Uh-huh. ... Well, that is good to hear. Did you manage to talk to Melissa? ... Oh, she contacted you as soon as the barrier went down? She was the first to contact you? That's some dedication right there! ... Heh, yeah, I guess she would be worried, 'Gary-kins'."

Thomas laughed, as IF was sitting elsewhere, checking one of her many cellphones, "Yeah, when this is all over, we'll have a nice dinner to celebrate. It'll be great! ... No, I am not cooking, you should be happy about that. ... Okay, no, I dunno when, I'll let you know. ... Uh-huh. ... Yeah, I'll be careful. ... I'm not lying, I will! ... Okay, you too. See you later. ... Bye."

Thomas hung up the receiver, thanking the agent who let him borrow the phone to call. He adjusted his hoodie as he was walking out, when IF cursed at her phone, "Still nothing. I sure hope they're all okay. Ugh..."

Thomas stopped, shifting his body to face IF, "Something the matter?"

"Just trying to connect with some of my contacts," IF shook her head, "No luck. This stupid firewall is pretty good at blocking communications. I can't even find info on what's happening over there."

"So much for getting some intel," Thomas frowned, "Looks like no matter which barrier we break, we'll be going in blind."

"Unfortunately," IF responded, "Though once that barrier's down, we can re-establish communication." She sighed, "Until then, my cellphones are gonna be rather useless."

"You mean all those phones aren't just for decoration, playing games, and taking goofy pictures of yourself?" Thomas teased.

"Ha ha," IF sarcastically laughed, "I have them for other things too, you know! I need to be in contact with many people to know what's going on. It's all a part of my role as the Wind that blows through all of Gamindustri!"

Thomas purposefully paused for a moment, "Right. You don't have an addiction problem at all. Nope!"

IF sneered at him, "I know you're just teasing, but seriously, bite me."

"I was," Thomas said, glancing away, "Sorry that I am not into the cellphone craze as you."

"I don't even see you with a cellphone!" IF exclaimed, "How is it that you, a person who was coordinating with the Guild when working with the Basilicom, who helped build some of the new routes in Gamindustri, and who brought about the formation of a few new cities-"

Thomas interjected, "I'm not really the one to credit for that. I was just a middle man."

"All the same," IF continued, "My point was how could you do all these that without even using a cellphone? This is the current generation of technology here. What do you do to communicate with others? Carrier Horsebirds?"

"I just use e-mail to talk with people if I'm far away, of use the landlines here. Otherwise, I do what normal people do, personally talk to them." Thomas seemed rather offended by this.

"Normal people use cellphones too, you know," IF argued, "It's quite a useful tool, like having a small miniature computer. I don't know if it's as advanced as some of Nepgear's toys, but it can be of great benefit!"

Thomas simply rolled his eyes, but before he could say some more, IF tapped the seat beside her, as she pulled out one cellphone, "Look. Come here for a moment. I'll show you."

Thomas shrugged, and sat himself down next to IF, who turned on the cellphone she just pulled out. IF smiled as she looked through her applications, "All those things you say you did before? You can easily do that on here." She tilted it a little for Thomas to see, "With a wifi connection, you can check your e-mail right away, and use the keyboard here to type in your reply."

IF next flipped the screen a few times to show her going through a menu, "Of course you can call people from here, but you can also make things a lot easier. Here's a list of some of my contacts. Hehe, I'm sure you'll recognize a few names there. I guess I'm just really famous or something!" IF took a moment to show off her impressive contact list. Thomas was having none of that, giving IF a glare.

"The point is, I treasure all of these people just like I treasure my friends," IF said, "I even went and got Nepgear's number here if she needed anything. Although, she sometimes sends me weird text messages about her weird mechanical ideas."

Thomas blinked, "I, er, see. Um, may I?" He wasn't sure of the interface, but he was inclined to get it a shot and look around.

IF hesitated for a good while, as this was one of her phones, and she wasn't willing to part with any of them. She eventually, but very reluctantly and slowly, handed the phone over to Thomas, "Alright, but do not screw it up."

"I will be very careful!" Thomas assured her, as he looked down towards the phone.

Oh, you know where this is going, huh? Let's speed it up! Doodily doodily - ahem, several minutes later...

 **"What the hell did you do to my phone?"** IF took the phone back as she scrambled to undo whatever 'the hell' he did to it.

"I underestimated a cellphone's general complexity," Thomas, with his face drawing a blank, said, clearly out of his league.

"There's no way you could be this incompetent!" IF just couldn't believe the luck, as there were several error messages and pop-ups on her phone, in addition to her menu being all messed up and some of her apps being missing. Thankfully for her, she knew how to fix these errors, and she went to work on her phone.

"I-I'm sorry, I just never really bothered with this tech until now," Thomas grumbled, "I usually do a lot of studying before I get into a new technology. But, I don't usually do well on the first few tries. Poor luck with that."

"I still don't understand how you could be this bad. I really thought you were at least capable to just look around," IF was still dumbfounded by Thomas' terrible illiteracy, "That decides it! I'm gonna have to teach you how to use a cellphone."

"You really don't need to," Thomas objected, "I don't really need to use one, after all."

"Oh no, I am making it my mission!" IF stood up, pointing accusingly at him, "This is for the sake of all of Gamindustri! I can't have one of Planeptune's finest be so terrible at cellphones."

"But I don't work for Planeptu-"

"You will be taught the finer details of the cellphone," IF exclaimed, getting into the role she put herself in, "Or I will unleash the fires of hell!"

Thomas' eyes widened significantly, "I-I-Isn't that a little extreme?"

IF stared at Thomas for a few seconds, before she sighed, "Please?"

"Uh, o-okay," Thomas said with a confused look, "Please teach me, Iffy."

"Only once you get a cellphone," IF said, as she held her 'damaged' phone close to her, "I am not willing to sacrifice any of my own."

"Alright," Thomas said as he glanced away, "You don't have to offer, er, demand to teach me, though."

"It's for the best," IF crossed her arms, "And for the safety of cellphones!"

Somehow, for dramatic effect, as IF stood to pose, her coat began to blow in the... wind? Wait, that couldn't be right. Oh, someone just opened the door and caused a breeze in the room. Thomas just watched as the nameless, description-less NPC just walked past the both of them.

After that odd moment, Thomas bluntly said, "I'm heading out now. See you later."

IF blinked, "Y-yeah, later." After Thomas finally left, IF scrambled to fix what other errors were on her cellphone, "Seriously, how the hell did he... there there, you're back home where you belong. I'll never abandon you again, I promise!"

She brought the phone to her chest, wrapping her arms around like she was trying to hug it. Let's just go to the next event.

* * *

 **"Glad to be of help!" (Compa)**

* * *

Back at the building the group had been staying at in Haneda City, Compa was busy checking on her giant, scary needle weapon, making sure it's clean, nice and shiny before using it against any more enemies. Compa had been really happy since the recipe she used to save Nepgear had worked, as evident by her humming a happy tune and rocking back and forth.

Thomas, returning from the Guild, returned to the room to see Compa looking really pleased and polishing a giant needle. He murmured, "Good thing I'm not here for a check-up."

"Hmm?" Compa heard someone, and stopped to look over, "Oh, hello Tom-Tom! Everything at the Guild go okay?"

"I think so," Thomas answered, looking back as he closed the door, "On the plus side, things are a little better now."

Compa nodded enthusiastically, putting away the needle, "Yes. I'm so happy to see that Ge-Ge is alright."

"This is what I actually came here for," Thomas said as he bowed his head, "I wanted to thank you personally, for saving her. I was starting to feel scared when that medicine wasn't working for a second."

"Aw, you're very welcome!" Compa beamed, as she folded her hands on her lap, "However, I wasn't alone. You, Iffy, Uzume, and Plutia were also there! I couldn't have done all this myself."

"Nonetheless, it was your idea of using that recipe that did it," Thomas said, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat down nearby, "You also helped me while we went for the ingredient, and I am very grateful for that, as well."

"I'm very happy to hear that, Tom-Tom," Compa said, "We all had to be in this together. With Ge-Ge around too, I'm certain we can save Nep-Nep and Histy too!"

"Oh, you're going to be joining us?" Thomas asked, as he didn't really ask if IF and Compa will be joining the group. Then again, he did not ask Nepgear either. He'll have to ask her later.

"Of course! I may not look like much, but me and Iffy have been fighting with Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge for a long time! We're not going to sit down on the sidelines while our friends are in danger!" Compa said quite simply, as Thomas grimaced. Considering what he said about leaving the fighting after getting to Histoire, Compa's words hit him a little in his heart.

"Uh, right. I'm definitely not stopping you, of course," Thomas spoke while glancing away.

"I'd walk through anything for Nep-Nep, Ge-Ge, and Iffy!" Compa exclaimed, "So no, you can't!"

Thomas cleared his throat, "I never really asked before, but... you knew Nep-Nep, er, Neptune, for a long time? How long has it been?"

Compa thought about it, then smiled, "Ever since I was just a nursing student! So, uh, a very long, long time! Really, we've been her best friends for so long, and Ge-Ge since she's been born."

"You probably know a lot about them," Thomas said.

"Yep!" Compa nodded, "Which is one reason I want to hurry and save them. I feel like our party isn't the same with them both with us, you know? It... it doesn't feel right."

"Hmm?" Thomas said as Compa started looking a little depressed, "A-a-are you alright?"

"Oh, sorry, I..." Compa winced, "This is reminding me of those years when ASIC kidnapped the goddesses. Me and Iffy managed to get them all out eventually, but, I don't want to go through something like that again. To be separated from the people you love, that is one of the hardest things in the world I can think of."

"People you... love?" Thomas inquired, unsure if he heard what he really heard, "You love Neptune?"

"Of course!" Compa said, perking a little, "Such a kind, happy-go-lucky person. I always have fun around her, even if she can be kinda lazy at times. Not to mention, every time I make some pudding, the way her eyes light up, oh it's just so cute!"

Thomas was caught off-guard by this, and said, "That's, uh, amazing! You're not one to hide your feelings, I take it!"

"That's right!" Compa exclaimed, "I love my Nep-Nep! Just as I love everyone! There is plenty of Compa love to be had by everybody!"

"Guh~!" Thomas turned a bright shade of red for a second as his mind raced. Was he hearing that right? It took him a few seconds, and Compa looking confused at his expression before he calmed down, the flush fading from his cheeks.

"Is something the matter?" Compa asked, "You're not coming down with an ailment, are you?"

"N-no," Thomas laughed, and said with a sheepish grin, "My mind thought of something else when you spoke of love, but I get your meaning now. I'm actually glad you feel that way about your friends."

Compa tilted her head, and if this were in visual novel format instead of the text you see here, there would've been a question mark drifting over her head.

Thomas shook his head, "Don't worry about it. It's not important. However, I am glad to have you aboard with us for this journey."

Compa, giggling, said with a clap of her hands, "No problem! Glad to be of help!"

Thomas sighed a little in relief. He pondered taking a long vacation after this to rest his poor mind as well as his body.

* * *

 **"If only I was a little stronger..." (Nepgear)**

* * *

Long after her recovery from, well, everything so far, Nepgear was still trying to rest up in bed, as the girls readied themselves for a bit of rest. Thomas had entered the room, after checking to make sure it was okay since he didn't want Uzume to bop him on the head again, or worse since Plutia was around.

Thomas talked briefly with IF and Compa about their next step, which was heading to the Planeptune capital pronto and dealing with whatever's happening there. There wasn't an actual plan he had in mind, and they were going in blind anyway, so a full frontal assault was all he had. IF was disappointed that this was all they got, but there weren't any better ideas, so this was the plan by default.

Nepgear didn't really hear much of the conversation as she sat up, leaning against the back frame of the bed. She sighed, holding a pillow up to her chest to give it a hug. It did little to rest her doubts that were returning. She'd grown quite a bit from the scared CPU candidate that was tasked with saving the world one day. For a time, she thought she finally put some of those negative thoughts to rest.

Uzume noticed her friend was looking down in the dumps, as she sat on the bed next to her, "Gearsy? Something on your mind? Actually, just tell me what's on your mind. I can tell you're worried about something."

Nepgear blinked, "Am I that easy to read?" She pouted, but nodded, "You're right. Obviously, I'm worried about Neptune. It's not just that, though. I... I didn't really tell you guys what happened, right? How I went unconscious?"

"It did cross all our minds, I'm sure," Uzume said, "You can tell us now, if you want."

Nepgear nodded, as IF, Compa, and Thomas sat in chairs. Plutia, meanwhile, resting in another bed, was just listening in on the conversation while idly playing a bit with her plushie.

"There isn't much to say, honestly," Nepgear twiddled her fingers, "When that hole in the sky started, me and Neptune noticed it almost right away. I think I saw some other CPU in the far-off distance flying up there too. I couldn't see who it was, though."

She continued after a pause, "Me and Neptune transformed, taking to the sky to see what was up there. For all we know, it could've been a portal to another dimension or something. We had to check. As we went up there, lightning started shooting down. We managed to dodge the bolts, although I think I saw the CPU in the distance falling down. I think I saw an airship go down as well."

Thomas grimaced, but decided not to bring up his part in this. Nepgear kept going, "The hole quickly closed soon after. However, when the, I guess firewall?" Uzume nodded, and Nepgear resumed, "When the firewall started going down, me and Neptune were suddenly being chased by some small, flying ships. It was like something out of those sci-fi movies, or shoot-em-up games. It would be fascinating if these ships weren't tailing us, shooting lasers and trying to bring us down."

"Next thing I know, me and Neptune separated, to try and split up the ships giving chase," Nepgear was struggling to remember the next bit, "I finally turned around to take on the ships myself, and I dealt with them rather handily, but that firewall came down. I realized, I was on this side, and Neptune, Planeptune-"

IF filled in the blanks, "They were on the other side."

"Yes," Nepgear sighed, "And when I fully realized that, I wanted to do anything to get back. So, I did something stupid, and attacked the wall with my all that I had. But even touching the wall was enough to realize I made a mistake."

"So, when we found you unconscious, it was because you collapsed after that attack," Compa said.

Nepgear nodded, "I should never have separated from Neptune. If I was strong enough, I would've just stopped all those ships and stayed with her."

"You can't beat yourself up over what happened," IF consoled her, "This was something none of us really knew about. Hell, we still don't know everything. You did what you could, and we are glad you are still with us even after that brush with the wall."

"I feel like I've screwed up again," Nepgear complained, "I used to be a main character, but now I can't even beat a wall."

"Oh come on, Gearsy, don't be like that," Uzume held up a fist as she tried to rally her, "None of us could beat this wall back then, but we have the means now! We'll get Nepsy and show this wall the power of the Planeptune goddesses!"

"Mmhmm! They messed with the wrong CPUs! Whoever they are!" Plutia said, while trailing off and wondering who the main villains for this story are. Meanwhile, Thomas bit his lower lip, looking down and having a frustrated look on his face.

"Well, I guess you're right," Nepgear still didn't look too happy, "I just don't feel like I've done much. Maybe it's better that I just stay in the back row so I don't end up doing something stupid again."

"Oh for crying out loud," Thomas grumbled, before raising his voice to be heard, "Nepgear, do you remember the first time I encountered you?"

"Huh? Thomas?" Nepgear blinked, "I don't know why you asked but, wasn't it a few weeks after your internship? When you got a job?"

"That is incorrect," Thomas said bluntly, "There was a time before, and I'm willing now to tell this story, if you let me. There's a reason I'll tell this story now."

"That and to provide backstory, right?" Compa cheerily said.

"Don't break the fourth wall, Compa," IF said, before turning to Thomas, "Is this story related to what's going on here?"

Thomas just eyed IF for a moment, before waiting for Nepgear to answer. She replied, "Well, I guess I don't mind if you tell it. I am a little curious, now."

Plutia threw her plushie up, cheering, "Yay! More flashback noise time!"

IF murmured, "What did I just say about-" She threw her arms up, "I give up."

Thomas clapped his hands together, "Alright. I finally get to get this off my chest."

Uzume raised her eyebrows at this, as Pluta got to make some silly noises to bring us to a flashback!

* * *

 **Thomas' POV**

* * *

I was raised during my childhood at a small, isolated farm on Hello Continent, to the far west. There wasn't a whole lot of people there, but it also didn't help that me and my parents were in an extremely isolated corner. My mother passed not long after I was born, so I was raised by my father, who pretty much kept to himself. I think he just wanted to be a hermit.

In any case, just as I was coming of age, my father passed on as well. The farm wasn't providing a whole lot, and things were getting pretty bad with monsters increasing, so I eventually left to wander. My grandfather left some notes from his adventures, I believe he was some sort of naval officer, but those notes helped me to make my own little boat. It wasn't anything fancy, and it took a long while to make, but when I finally had it ready, I started heading out of Hello Continent, and moved towards the main continent.

It was not a good time, however, on the land. It was a time when ASIC and the Deity of Sin were around and causing all sorts of problems. It was a low point in Gamindustri, and dangerous monsters were a common sight. I spent of my time out at sea, moving along the coast of Planeptune and living off of seafood and any vegetation I could get off the coast. I managed to survive, somehow.

I hit some rough waters as I went along the coast to where the Gamindustri Graveyard was, right in the center of the continent. Most of it sank into the sea now, and the rest was cleaned up eventually. At the time, though, it was very dangerous. Again, I was lucky enough to move through the harsh water, deadly winds, and storms, but the boat couldn't stay afloat for long. I had no choice, and crashed the ship, east of the Graveyard.

I had to flee, since I was severely under-leveled, and the monsters were all over the place. I did my best to avoid monsters, moving east as I remembered vaguely that Lastation was that way. On my way there, I ended up at Rebeat Resort. I wasn't really sure of the place, but I checked the area to see if I could use anything. Unfortunately, there was nothing but monsters there.

As I explored the region, I thought I was doing pretty good at sneaking around. However, I was confronted with a giant Fenrir. Those damn, freakin' Fenrirs. Ahem. I was no in way capable of defeating it, and it shocked me enough that had nothing happened, that would the end of my story right there.

Something did happen, though. Both me and the Fenrir froze at this bizarre sound that I certainly never heard of before. However, it was just enough to distract the Fenrir, who turned around and decided to go investigate it rather than deal with me. I bolted for the nearest cover and hid myself, hoping the Fenrir would lose interest. I wanted to make sure it was completely distracted, and peeked my head out from the cover.

What I saw, was a definite turning point for me. I saw a pitched battle between the Fenrir and a group. I wasn't sure who the others were, but there was one that definitely caught my attention.

It was a CPU candidate, transformed, with a rather large weapon and hovering with these giant wings. Although she seemed hesitant in fighting, when she did, it was quick and decisive. That Fenrir tried to fight back, but it was clearly no match. A monster like that was defeated so quickly, that it frightened me someone could even have that much power.

That CPU candidate was you, Nepgear. I mean, that's why I'm telling this story. At the time, however, I did not know who it was. Hell, I wasn't even aware that it was a CPU. I certainly wasn't going to just go up and say hello. I was way too cowardly, even compared to today, and so I snuck off and resumed heading east, towards Lastation.

* * *

I have never really been to civilization before, so it was a huge shock to me to see all sorts of strange buildings and people walking around. Although it was still during a dark period of Gamindustri, there was still some life here. Seeing any of these people around was enough to have me shaking. I wasn't sure how to talk to anyone or even start a conversation. The only one I ever talked to was my father, and we barely even talked. So, naturally, when someone came up to me and asked, "Hey there! Are you looking for something? Do you need some help?" I jumped.

"Aaaah! Uh, h-h-h-hello! Hi! Weather sure is great!" Nailed it, best introduction line I gave to anyone! That was certainly not sarcasm!

"Woah, take a deep breath there. Relax, I'm just offering some help," I can't remember exactly who it was and my memory's a little fuzzy, but I'm certain it was a young girl.

"S-s-sorry!" I continued to look uncomfortable, and tried to do what she said, managing to calm down a little, "I... I am quite lost. Wh-where exactly am I?"

"Lost? You are currently near Lastation's Guild," the girl replied, "If you're really lost, you can always ask the Guild over there to help you find your way." She pointed me towards the Guild, and I looked that for a second.

"Lastation? So this is Lastation," I murmured, my eyes certainly bulging out at the sights I was seeing.

"Haha, yeah, this is Lastation," She definitely heard me, "Have you been living under a rock or something?"

"If I said it was something close, would you believe me?" I asked her, as I scratched a bit of the little fuzzy beard that I grew over my time at sea. No, it didn't stay long. It was too itchy.

The girl sighed a bit, "I don't know what I can believe these days, but anything is possible." She then said simply, "Any questions you have, I am sure the Guild can help you out. I'm guessing you don't really have a home, either."

"N-no, not really," I replied, not wanting to go too much into detail, "I guess the Guild can help me out with that too?"

"Maybe. I am sure they can point you in the right direction," the girl nodded, "I wish you luck, then, sir. Hope you do fine around here."

"Thank you, young lady," I bowed my head in appreciation, as I turned toward the Guild before stopping, "Wait, may I ask you something, miss?"

"Hmmm? Sure, I guess, but can't you ask the Guild?" the girl asked, confused.

"I would, but I would like to ask you first, since I am not sure if talking about this to others is wise. This tale seems a bit crazy but... on my way over here, I had an encounter with a big monster, but it was defeated by this young, flying girl wielding a large weapon and... just saying that now makes me sound crazy. I'm sorry to have asked. I shall be on my way."

"Nono, wait," the girl stopped me before I could continue on my way, "Flying girl with a large weapon? She had a pair of bright wings behind her back, right?"

I nodded a little, to which the girl pondered something, "Well, odd, but okay, maybe you did see one a long while ago?"

"Oh?" I did not want to interrupt. I was hoping she had an actual answer for me, because otherwise I would be highly concerned for my sanity.

"It sounds like a CPU you might be describing," the girl gave me a clue into what a CPU was. Again, I wasn't familiar with them before. I only read a little about them in the few books and notes I had back on Hello Continent.

"Oh, is that what a CPU would look like? That comes as a relief," I said.

"Well, maybe you saw something else, but if you need to know more, there's the Guild. You can also check the library if you need to read on anything," The girl said, "I'm sure they'll point the way, though. You take care, okay?"

"Th-thanks, young lady!" We waved good-byes to each other as I headed to the Guild.

That conversation led me to do more research, to find out who exactly was there on that encounter. At the Guild, I would work with them to get some basic shelter, new clothes, and some food to start off. I would work some jobs at Lastation, eventually working to gain citizenship as I worked many temporary jobs. I would read many books at the library, many describing a lot more things about Gamindustri as a whole. I eventually figured out that a CPU was the one who saved me that day, and news of their exploits made me want to do something with my life. I really wanted to take this new chance.

* * *

I guess since I told that part of the story, we should get to that time I met Nepgear. After my internship at Planeptune finished, I was offered an entry-level position within the Basilicom. Although it was still mostly office-keeping, I was going to be considered a part of the Basilicom's staff proper. I was really happy to see my efforts pay off, even in an admittedly small way.

However, what I was not really looking forward to was the little ceremony where me and a bunch of other newbies would be sworn in as members of Planeptune's order or whatever the tradition went. I get that it's some old tradition they wanted to keep going, but to me, it was not something I cared much for. I don't think Neptune cared much for it, either. Still, it had to be done.

The ceremony itself wasn't the main issue I had, though. It was more the formal getup I had to wear. The priests at the Basilicom would wear these long, hooded outfits over themselves. Now I took a job that was not related to that sort of work, but the tradition went that everyone sworn in would have to wear one for the ceremony. So I did.

"This thing is heavier than I, urgh, thought!" I complained to myself, entering into the Basilicom lobby with the robe on, "How can anyone breathe in this thing is my guess. I don't even want to think about how to wear this when outside!" I wasn't too pleased, as the robe pushed down on me, as if the gravity of the entire world just increased, but only on me! Even the hood of the robe would push down on my head. It was so heavy, I think my eyes must've looked closed to anyone seeing this! It was hard to see, naturally.

Unluckily for me, my lack of vision led to me tripping on the robe, and falling over to crash on the floor. "Ow! Urgh... this is a pain."

"Are you okay, sir?" I heard a voice calling from above me. Somehow, my eyes were able to open just enough to see a girl kneeling beside me. The purple-haired woman wore a sailor uniform and striped stockings. She looked like a taller, older version of Neptune. I'm sure Nepgear got that a lot, since she's really the younger sister of the two. Oh, and yeah, that was Nepgear calling out just then.

"Yeah, s-sorry, I guess I just tripped on this robe, here," I sighed, trying to get up.

"Hold on, I'll help!" She was surprisingly strong, lifting me back to my feet as I tried to keep balance.

"Ah, thank you, miss," I said as I desperately tried to get my posture back up, "I am still trying to get used to this robe."

"Used to... oh! Are you one of the people attending the swearing-in today?" She asked me.

"Uh, yeah," I admitted, as I shifted in place.

"Ah! Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm Nepgear, the CPU candidate for Planeptune! I'll be attending the ceremony with my sister to welcome you into the fold!" Nepgear seemed happy to say hello, at least.

"N-Nepgear?" I blinked a few times before I snapped to, "Oh! Yeah, you do look very similar to your sister Neptune after all! I guess she wasn't lying about that! My name is Thomas. It is nice to finally meet you!"

"Thomas?" Nepgear pondered, "I recall Neptune mentioning a Tommy a few times before. I guess that was you?"

"Probably," I said, not sure if there were any other people with my name. I didn't know everyone on the staff, after all. I continued, "I didn't think Neptune would talk about me."

"She doesn't talk a lot about the staff, but Histoire did mention about Neptune's hiding in the break room and your name popped up," She sighed, "Sorry about that. Neptune tends to slack off sometimes."

"So I've seen," I said quietly.

Nepgear then jumped up, and said, "I should probably get ready soon! I'll meet you at the ceremony! Oh, and take it slowly! Those robes look awfully big on you."

"Oh, so it is just me," I sighed, but it was already too late to change into a smaller size, as I would be called to the main aisle of the Basilicom shortly, "I shall see you then."

Later, me and the newbies went into the central aisle and sat ourselves down. Some of us were chatting about random things, but the main thing was of course the ceremony.

"So, uh, you ready to finally meet with the goddesses?" One of the new guys was talking to another in the seats of front of me.

"Yeah man, this is what I've been waiting for even since I joined!" The other guy replied, clearly excited. I can't really blame them. I mean, I've met both of them at this point, but to some of these people, this is something completely new.

"I hear Purple Heart is completely different when she's not in her HDD," one of the guys said, as that piqued my interest. Well, it did, until some of them started to talk about things I don't want to say here. Really, people have a hard time making up such nasty rumors! And no, it was certainly nothing you hear from some creepy person! Please don't look at me like that.

I will not go over the ceremony because it was extremely boring, but we went through the motions. Histoire was out to give a speech about joining with Planeptune, helping to make the world a better place, all the nice stuff that would fill an hour or three. We got to the end of the ceremony, when Histoire spoke up.

"I want you all to meet the CPUs now. Over the years, we've had a few new CPUs, and over time, there have been incidents where staff do not recognize them, either in their HDD form, or as a human. This part has been added so that, in the future, such incidents would not occur."

Histoire said all this, and I just cringed. This probably would've saved us a bit of grief had I known about Neptune earlier when I was still an intern. I'm sure Histoire has thought about it since then.

"In any case, I shall present their human selves first. I shall introduce first, the CPU of our nation, miss Neptune, also known as Purple Heart," Histoire introduced her first, as the perennially energetic one bounced in from the left side, waving both her hands in the air and getting several polite claps as that was part of the strict manner we were told to proceed. Yay tradition.

"Hey guys! Give a little shout-out to your CPU goddess! Woooooo! Let's Nep it up! Nep it up! Nep it up!" Neptune called out with an attempted chant, throwing tradition in the bin, causing some in our crowd to start cheering and making some noise. Thankfully, only a few followed Neptune's silly chant.

"Neptune, please!" Histoire pleaded, before she glared at some of us who went off the script. The crowd soon simmered down, and Histoire continued, "Right. The next and last I shall call up is our CPU candidate, miss Nepgear, known as Purple Sister."

She gestured to the other side of the aisle, and Nepgear nervously walked in, before giving a small wave, "Uh, hello everyone! I hope you enjoy your stay here."

I'm not gonna mention some of the reaction from the crowd here, but Neptune did a little cheer to try and pump everyone up. Or maybe she was trying to make Nepgear relax somewhat. She seemed nervous at times. I guess this was one of those times.

Histoire cleared her throat, "Ahem, yes, good. So, these are our goddess, as they are when they are in human form. Now, I suggest those of you how have issues with bright lights to shield your eyes at this time." She waited about three seconds, than said, "Alright, they shall now change into their HDD form. You two, if you would."

"You got it! Eyes on me, please!" Neptune insisted as she and Nepgear began their transformations. I had to shield my eyes, not that it was a major issue since they were mostly closed already! Stupid robe.

Still, as the light faded, and the two goddesses were changed, there were many murmurs in the crowd as they took the sight in. For me, it was a strange sight to see Neptune go from a small, silly person to the more mature CPU, physically and mentally. The crowd was right, she was very different from her human counterpart.

However, when I saw Purple Sister standing there, trying to do her part in the ceremony without getting too nervous, my mind quickly recalled that day so long ago. It was there I realized who my indirect rescuer was. It was a shock to my system, and I think that's probably why I don't remember a whole lot afterward. Obviously, there were some closing words, a little reception with sandwiches and tea in the office after, but I could barely think after that.

* * *

The flashback ended as Thomas kept his eyes closed, still recalling from his story, "My life changed significantly after that encounter. At first, I just wanted to help the goddesses in any way I can. But after that ceremony, something clicked in me. It wasn't just out of a sense of simple belief, but of a immense debt I feel I owe the CPUs, and the people of Gamindustri, for giving me that one chance at a life here."

He looked to each person in the group, "Over time, back then, and even now, I find myself still relying on the kindness and efforts put forth by the CPUs, the candidates, their friends... and when I think of that, I can't ignore it." He then looked to Nepgear, "And it started with you just doing what you normally do, clearing monsters as part of a simple quest, as far as I know. So please, and I really do mean this... Don't ever, I mean ever, think your efforts are for naught, Nepgear. I..." He stopped, and glanced away, trying to get back his voice, "I think I talked a little much there, my throat's starting to give out." He coughed, using it as an excuse to hide that he was embarrassed for saying these things.

"Want some water, Tom-Tom?" Compa asked as Thomas nodded quickly.

Uzume, who had been listening intently, since it was a story of something in her nation at a time she wasn't around, so she was naturally curious, picked up where Thomas left off, "Exactly! Tomsy's got a good point there. Gearsy, remember, if it wasn't for you and what you did over in Zero and Heart Dimension, I wouldn't have been revived."

IF paused, "Right, and I know you aren't the 'main character' now," she winced at saying something so meta, "but if it wasn't for you, I don't think if any of us would be here. You did bring many of us together to beat the Deity of Sin."

Plutia smiled, saying quite simply, "Neppy Junior, quit being such a downer."

"All of you... you're right," Nepgear took a deep breath, "I should not like these setbacks get to me. We'll go get Neptune back, this much I promise."

"There we go! That's the Ge-Ge I wanna see!" Compa gives Thomas a glass of water, "Here you go, Tom-Tom."

Thomas, trying to cover his face a bit, whispered, "Thank you," And proceeded to take a drink of the water. This was he needed to do. He needed Nepgear to be motivated once more.

Once more, so he can end his own adventure. At least, so he thought.


	8. ACT I: Planeptune In Sight

After the group had some time to rest and collect their thoughts, they began moving out of Haneda City, on the road to Planeptune's capital. Although Thomas couldn't really see far, he was relieved he was getting close to his goal. It was just a matter of time before he could hand over the reigns to people far more capable.

Indeed, he was already feeling good now that Nepgear had joined. He definitely knew a lot more about Nepgear's capabilities, and he had great faith in them, so his nervousness from when he was starting this trek had shrunk to its lowest.

He still wasn't that eager to fight, however. In terms of how they were organized as a party, his one-time savior was in the front of the group along with her good friend Uzume, while Thomas hung in the back row along with Compa. IF, with her tremendous agility and speed, living up a little to her self-appointed nickname, went wherever she was needed at the time.

Plutia... well, Plutia was Plutia. The slow, sleepy-eyed CPU would mostly linger behind the others, even behind Thomas at times. However, when the fighting went underway, she seemed a lot more excited, and would have a sudden spike in energy. She'd jump in and leap in with her plushie over her head before giving the enemy a good thrashing.

After defeating a group of red Dogoos, Thomas blinked a bit at Plutia, "How do you do that, by the way? One moment you look ready for a nap, the next you're just obliterating the bad guys."

"I am just," Plutia paused to yawn, "ah, saving up my energy. Helps with the fight. Or maybe I'm just always sleepy." She shrugged, as she held the plushie up to her chest, having another yawn.

"I like to think of Plutia as like a lion," Compa spoke to Thomas, "Capable of laying about for long periods of time, but once awake, watch out!"

"Makes sense, comparing Plutia to that of a ferocious predator," IF said.

Plutia smiled, giggling happily, but IF was quick to add, "That wasn't a compliment."

"Plu?" Plutia was surprised, "But I like lions!"

Ignoring the conversation, Nepgear asked Uzume, "Since we're coming up close to the firewall, how do we break this down?"

Uzume looked to Thomas, who nodded as he pulled out the tome from his inventory. Uzume spoke, "This old tome, somehow brought to us by a former goddess, has some info on it, including the commands for a key. It only breaks a section of the wall at a time, and we'll be needing the other CPUs in order to bring down the rest. At least, that's what I gathered."

"It's pretty much all I can figure so far," Thomas interjected, giving the book to Nepgear to read, "Aside from that, everything has been blind for us. That includes all those robots that have been attacking. I'm still not even sure why a tome like that would be all the way out there."

Nepgear opened the book and did some quick reading. Uzume thought for a moment, "Maybe that tome was just something that people forgot about over time? Or maybe something happened that made us forget? I mean, I know too well about the world being re-written before."

Thomas raised an eyebrow, about to ask Uzume what she meant, but Nepgear replied, "Anything is possible. There's a lot about Gamindustri that isn't really known."

"In any case," Thomas said, "What really matters is we have something to deal with this." He then winced, "Did you find the right page to bring down the barrier, Nepgear? I bet you can somehow read the super secret language without a decoder ring or something." He certainly didn't sound bitter.

"Still upset over that, huh?" Uzume grinned a little to him, as Nepgear blinked at the page she finally found.

"Did Neptune write this?" Nepgear seemed confused as she read the instructions, able to translate it because it bared a resemblance to her scribbles.

Thomas could only let out a deep sigh, "Either that, or maybe the ancient CPUs wrote in a goofy computer font."

"I'm going for goofy computer font," IF said as she walked quickly to catch up, "I'm afraid to think of a time-traveling Nep writing this."

"Yeah, if she did write this," Thomas added, "It certainly wouldn't be such a serious topic. It probably would've had a pudding recipe or something."

"Or have some crazy fictional story involving pirates and elves and whatever random things come into her head," IF smirked, "And she would come up with a corny title for it. Probably sign it with a pen name with the word 'Nep' in it."

"I'd read that," Thomas smiled as his mind thought about the crazy story Neptune would write.

"You'd read anything," IF said. Thomas shrugged, not feeling any guilt about that, as Nepgear closed the tome and looked ahead.

"I'm coming to save you, Neptune," Nepgear muttered, before pumping a fist, "I wanna read that story!"

"We were just joking, Nepgear," Thomas winced.

"Aww, you got my hopes up," Nepgear pouted, as Thomas murmured apologetically.

A little later, the group encountered a big monster, a whale. You know, a whale floating on land. I'm sure many of you who've been to a zoo have seen the floating whale exhibit!

The group had no real problem dealing with the large whale, as they outnumbered it six to one, and they were somehow not stuck in a four-person party. For Nepgear, this was a chance to regain some confidence, as she brought out some of her basic SP skills to handle this mini-boss. Even though she was not transformed, Nepgear was rather powerful, as her Slash Wave was enough to cause it significant damage.

Defeating the whale, Nepgear phewed, "That went smoothly. I am really glad you are all here to help out." She looked behind her and smiled to the rest of the group.

"We're just made it close enough to the barrier," Thomas said as he gestured ahead. As they were on an open plain, there wasn't really anything blocking their path or vision of the firewall. The crackling electricity was enough of a view to taunt the group during their trek.

As they all looked up at the barrier, both Nepgear and Uzume started to look worried. Nepgear twiddled her fingers, and asked Thomas, hopeful, "Uhh, Thomas? Is it possible to summon the key while not being transformed?"

"Hmm?" Thomas thought about it for a moment, "I don't know. The instructions say to be in HDD for it. I'm not really sure if it is possible."

"W-w-we should give it a try anyway, right Uzume?" Nepgear said, looking to Uzume with pleading eyes.

"Oh! Yeah, we should totally try it out! It would save on any energy in the future if we could do it without transforming!" Uzume nodded to Nepgear, obviously liking this idea.

"If you want to try it out, I guess you can," Thomas shrugged a bit as he turned to walk back past the two CPUs, walking past Plutia next, "Plutia, would you be kind enough to help those two?"

"O-kay!" Plutia beamed, and walked over to the two CPUs, as Thomas and IF motioned Compa to follow them.

"We'll be over here, to provide you moral support!" IF said cheerily, even though she was worried as well. Compa, meanwhile, still blissfully unaware, cheered out, "Yeah! Tear down that wall!"

Nepgear and Uzume could only cross their fingers, holding onto some hope as Plutia walked between the two. She held her arms out, "Let's go!"

The three nodded, standing close to each other as they faced the firewall. Nepgear and Uzume held out their arm that was close to Plutia, and tried to recall the command they use to summon the key.

As time slowly passed, both Nepgear and Uzume began to get more and more concerned, the sweatdrop slowly growing on their heads. Eventually, the two girls sighed, as nothing was happening, but then Plutia spoke, "I have an idea!"

"Plutia?" Nepgear asked nervously.

"I know what you're trying to do, and I understand. Let's try my plan, though," Plutia said as best she can.

"And that is..." Uzume was worried as Plutia looked to Nepgear.

"Neppy Junior, you transform. Uzume, you and I will hold her close," Plutia said, "Remember when you tried on your own? You needed my help. But, then I got to thinking... The tome didn't say **all** of us had to transform, riiiight?"

Uzume looked surprised, "Plutsy? That actually, might work? ... Yeah, let's give it a shot!"

"Okay!" Nepgear was pleased to hear that there was still some bit of hope, "I'll transform now!"

Purple Sister transformed, and took a few deep breaths. Both Uzume and Plutia wrapped their hands around Nepgear's arms, around the elbows, and the two tried their best to concentrate. Nepgear alrights, "Here goes nothing."

The three recalled the command and tried to use it together to summon the key through Nepgear, who held out one arm to try and form the key. There's another period of silence, but after that, the yellow glow once again showed up, and hit the firewall. Both the CPUs and the humans watched in awe as the glow once more ate up the barrier, opening up the path to Planeptune.

"We did it!" Uzume said as she let go of Purple Sister and jumped in celebratory joy, "Yes!"

"It worked!" Nepgear, turning back to her human self, joined Uzume in the celebration, though she only bounced a bit, "We managed to do it with just one of us transformed! This is fantastic!"

"Yaaaaay!" Plutia clapped her hands together, "My plan worked! I'm soooo happy!"

"That was really amazing, Plutsy! Great thinking there!" Uzume complimented her as she gave a thumbs up.

Plutia found herself blushing quite a lot at the genuine compliment, "Uhh, hehehe, thank you!"

"We really owe you one for that great idea, Plutsy," Uzume beamed, but Nepgear's eyes changed as she heard Uzume making a mistake.

"Oooooh! That's right! You **do** owe me now, do you?" Plutia cheered, "Hehehe! O-kay! I'll remember for later! You promised!" She then waved nicely to the two, and hopped away to tell of her great accomplishment to the others.

Uzume smiled, her mind slowly taking its time to realize the mistake, annnnnnnnd there it is! Uzume's face changed to match Nepgear's, though it's not as goofy since Nepgear is the master of funny faces. _Smi-ile!_

"Uhhh, I screwed up, didn't I?" Uzume said quietly to Nepgear.

"Honestly, I don't know. I am worried again, though," Nepgear said with a frown.

"A Pyrrhic victory, but a victory all the same, right?" Uzume said, hopeful, before trying to get their mind off the subject, "Cheer up, Gearsy! Let's go and get Nepsy back!"

Nepgear smiled weakly, "You're right. Neptune, please be alright."

* * *

The party's morale grew stronger as they approached Planeptune. They did not encounter many monsters on the way, and those that did show up were easily dealt with. They also did not encounter any of the robot enemies they've encountered prior, which was a bit of a relief. However, it was starting to concern some of them.

"I was expecting a little more resistance on the way here," Uzume said as she looked around, "I haven't seen any of those scrap heaps try to jump us yet."

"I'm starting to wonder too," IF conceded, "Either they are waiting for us at another point down the road, or maybe they are distracted by something else?"

"Neptune..." Nepgear was trying really hard not to just bolt for the capital immediately.

"Maybe," Thomas quietly added, "For now, I appreciate the lull in fighting." He murmured to himself after, "Almost there. Just a little more to go."

"I can see the city in the distance!" Compa exclaimed, and the group quickened their pace, as they all were eager to get there.

The Planeptune capital was a beautiful city, with tall, gleaming skyscrapers that were easy to spot from far away. The Nep Tower, centrally located, was the tallest building in the city. It was the first thing they saw over the horizon.

The party stopped just short of the outskirts of the city. As Nepgear and Uzume looked side to side, Uzume frowned, "Looks like everyone's either left or in hiding."

Compa stepped in, "It's a little unsettling to see the city so empty."

IF folded her arms as she stopped next to the others, "Let's just hope the people are alright here, but I agree with Compa, it is a little too quiet here."

"Think there may be a surprise ahead?" Thomas joined the group, as he took out his stick of ultimate poking, nervously looking around the empty city.

IF sighed, "I wish it was that easy to tell. As you noted earlier, we're going in blind."

Nepgear pondered a moment, before saying, "First, we should check out the Basilicom and see if Neptune or Histoire are around there."

Thomas nodded, "Right. Hopefully we can get some answers there before we try any other area."

The party made haste to the Basilicom, which could be seen close to the Nep Tower and the Observatory. From the outside, the front of the Basilicom looked fine. However, the lights were out, and the group was hesitant to enter. Not wanting to give away that they were coming, Thomas lifted a finger to his lips and snuck over to the front, leaning his ear to the door.

He couldn't hear anything audible behind the door, but he still was concerned. He motioned the three CPUs to get ready to break in, "You all go in on the count of three, alright?"

Thomas did the count using his fingers, and the CPUs pushed the doors open and jumped inside, ready their fighting stance. Nepgear was rather nervous in the dark room, while Uzume squinted her eyes to try to see anything, while Plutia just held her plushie out like a shield. After some looking around, Uzume looked to Thomas and shook her head.

The three others slowly walked in behind them, as IF took out one of her cellphones, turning on a lighting function to work as a flashlight.

"See, Thomas? This phone has a lighting function that can be very use-" IF whispered to him, before Thomas gave her a cold stare. IF stopped the sales pitch, and went back to looking around with the light.

"I don't see anyone here," Uzume remarked.

"I'll go check for light switches," Thomas said, as he quietly walked over to the side. The group eased their weapons, feeling a little relief, but not too much.

IF pointed the light along the floor of the Basilicom, moving ahead, "I don't see too much here... hold a moment, I'm getting something."

"Oh! I didn't know that thing can scan!" Compa seemed excited, "Are you detecting any strange anomalies?"

"No, it doesn't do that," IF said, rolling her eyes. She pointed to the floor she was shining a light at, and kept moving the light along the mess of debris and broken pieces leading to the back. IF just aimed it at a wall when Thomas flipped the lights on, and the group could see a large hole in the far back of the Basilicom, and a big mess of debris everywhere.

"Looks like there's been a scuffle here," Compa said, with IF adding, "And someone didn't want to use the front door."

Thomas was checking and peeking into some of the side doors in the lobby, as the others checked the debris for any clues.

Nepgear pushed some of the broken wall off to the side, looking outside and seeing a more open area, "Whatever it was, looks like they took it outside."

IF turned off the cellphone light function, and asked, "See anything out there, Nepgear?"

Nepgear shook her head, "No, just open space."

Thomas opened the door to one of the rooms and spoke aloud, "Everyone, I hear something from here."

The party turned, and followed Thomas into what looked like a simple office space. Thomas walked past a desk and chair, going over to a large cabinet. It was visibly shaking, with a small voice muffled inside.

Opening the door, Thomas jumped back as a bunch of clothes and a tome fell out. From the pile, a voice shouted, "Please help me out from here!"

"It's Big Histy!" Plutia exclaimed, hearing the voice of this dimension's Histoire struggling to get out of the pile of clothes she was under.

Thomas, with assistance from Plutia and Uzume, removed several spare clothes off of Histoire, and help her up.

"This was not how I wanted to spend my day," the Oracle sighed as she took off some socks that were on top of her head, "I am grateful for your help in getting me out of there!" She finally opened her eyes to see the party in the room looking at her, "Oh my! This is quite the assembled party! I am so glad you are all here!"

"What happened in here?" Compa asked, "And why were you stuck in one of the office cabinets?"

"That was Neptune's doing, I'm afraid," Histoire answered, "However, I believe she did that to protect me from what was happening outside."

"Really? Any idea where she is now? Please, we must be sure she is alright!" Nepgear pleaded with Histoire to tell her.

"Unfortunately, being trapped in a cabinet under a bunch of clothes has made me unaware of Neptune's current location," Histoire said as she pulled the big tome she floats on from under the pile of clothes, "However, I can tell you what has happened recently. I am sure you have a few questions."

"Like the hole in the Basilicom wall, or the city looking bare?" Uzume said as gestured a thumb behind her.

"Hole in the wall?" Histoire frowned, "Please let me see. I will answer both your questions then."

Once out in the lobby, Histoire floated over to the debris, looking rather dejected, "Oh, it's looks like I will have to contact some people to come fix this once this is all over." She then turned to look at the group, "Well, I can tell you that whatever Neptune was fighting, they certainly did not use the door."

"Care to elaborate on what it was that happened?" IF asked.

"Yes, of course!" Histoire's wings fluttered quickly, her eyes widening, "Currently, Planeptune has been put under a state of emergency until further notice. We did that just earlier today, while Neptune had been dealing with the robots that have been increasing their attacks rather abruptly."

"We had the same problem in Haneda City," Compa said, "But why are these robots attacking?"

"I am afraid that I do not know presently," Histoire held her chin in thought, "However, right now, you should all try to find Neptune. A few hours ago, Neptune hid me in that cabinet when we heard some explosions close to the Basilicom. She most likely went alone to greet them."

"How do we find Neppy now, though?" Plutia asked, saddened that her friend hasn't been found yet.

IF thought a moment, then responded, "She couldn't be too far off. The firewall limits how far she can go."

Uzume scratched her head briefly, then glanced up at her hand, "Hold on. Gearsy, do you have your N-Gear with you still?"

Nepgear blinked, and checked her inventory, "Uh, yeah, it's still with me."

Uzume hummed to herself, then pointed up a little with her hand, "I might have a plan." She looked to Histoire, "We'll go find her and bring her back, Histy. Everyone else, we'll meet outside."

Histoire blinked, "Uh, alright. Please, be careful! I'll just, er, try to find a safe place to hide until you come back... hopefully not another cabinet." She winced.

As the group started to move back outside, using the front door thankfully, Thomas walked over to Histoire, reaching into his inventory and pulling out the tome he held onto for so long.

"Lady Histoire," Thomas said, offering the tome to her, "This tome was found in LAN Castle. It might contain some information on what's been going on in Gamindustri. Please hold onto it until we get back."

"Thomas?" Histoire look surprised to see him here, as after initially helping her, he hung back in the party, "How did you find this? And how did you get from LAN Castle to here?"

Thomas pointed to the tome, as he took some steps back, "The answers are in there. I'll return with the others once we get Neptune."

"Are you sure you want to go? It's very dangerous!" Histoire hesitated, trying to hold onto the book. Thankfully for her it wasn't that heavy. She might be smaller than the others but she's not tiny like her counterpart in Ultradimension.

"I'm going anyway!" Thomas winced, as he turned to leave.

Further down the lobby, away from Histoire, Uzume couldn't believe what she heard, holding a hand out to stop Thomas, "What are you playing at, Tomsy? Last time I remembered, you said once you found Histoire and all that, your part would be done. It is going to be dangerous, as Histy said. We'll be fighting those robots, after all."

Thomas shivered a little, seeming to be conflicted in his decision, "I, um, I know. I just don't feel good leaving it at that. I... I don't want to go. But I have to help! I've gone at least this far, I need to at least see this through, even though I'm frightened out of my damn mind. I..."

Uzume put a hand on his head. Unlike previously where she would bop him for something, she just laid her hand there, trying to console him, "It's alright. Come on, let's go get Nepsy."

"R-right," Thomas felt rather embarrassed, as Uzume grinned, removing her hand and turned to walk off. Thomas followed suit...

Wait, did he just get headpatted?


	9. ACT I: Showdown

Meeting outside the Basilicom, Uzume lifted her arm again, pointing to the radio she has with her, "The CPUs are going on a little scouting mission." She explained her plan to find Neptune, before looking to IF, "You got a cellphone number I can call?"

IF blinked, "Yeah, hold on."

While IF reached for the phone to show the number, Uzume continued, "So me, Gearsy, and Plutsy will take to the air in HDD and do a sweep of the area. Since we know Nepsy can't be that far away, we each go in separate directions where we think she will go. It shouldn't be too hard to find her if she's fighting the robots. Explosions tend to give that away. Anyway, when one of us finds her, we call in to Ifsy, who will then call the others to join. Then we can head off the robots and help Nepsy!"

"Oh, so like a police patrol," Compa said simply.

"Uhh, yeah. I know, it's not the best idea I got, but I'm confident it'll work," Uzume said as she looked over IF's phone number to jot down, "By the way, thanks Gearsy for some of the radio upgrades here. It'll be very useful here."

"I don't have a phone," Plutia said with a tilt of her head.

"Oh, you don't have to worry," Uzume finished getting IF's number, "I thought about that possibility. Ifsy, let her borrow one of your phones, will you?"

"What? No way!" IF protested, "I already had one person screw up one of my phones, I'm not gonna let anyone else have that opportunity!"

Thomas looked away, whistling innocently as IF gave him a glare. Compa shook her head, "I got this covered! Here, Plutia, you can use my phone. It has Iffy's number on there, so you just call that when you spot Nep-Nep, okay?"

Plutia beamed a smile to Compa, "Thank you, Compa! I'll be sure to return it when we're done!"

IF felt a vibration on her cellphone, and she looked at it. Uzume quickly spoke up, "Just testing to see if it works. You got it?"

IF looked at the message, "'Greetings from Orange Heart' with a heart symbol at the end. Yeah, got it."

Uzume flushed, "A-a-anyway, the three of us should go our separate ways. I'll go back to check if we passed her on the way here."

Nepgear nodded, "Alright, I'll go check south along the coast."

Compa looked at Plutia, "I guess that means you go north, Plutia!" She says, pointing the way.

"Sounds good to me!" Plutia exclaimed, "So, when we find Neppy, we call Iffy?"

"Yes," Uzume explained, "She'll call the rest of us and we'll meet you where you find them. Be careful, though. Don't rush in all alone."

"Also, try to avoid any of the robots you might encounter," IF said, "We don't want all three of you to suddenly go missing too."

"O-kay," Plutia said with a pout, as she kinda wanted to destroy some robots along the way, but now she has to be sneaky.

"I'm guessing the three of us stay here, safely, on the ground in Planeptune," Thomas finally spoke up.

IF responded, "Well, just in case Nep shows up here somehow. We can look around the city in the meantime."

"Alright, unless there are any other questions? ..." Uzume waited a beat, before proclaiming, "Operation Saving Nepsy shall commence immediately! Let's go!"

"Right!" All of them broke out of their little huddle, and proceeded on their task.

* * *

"I don't like Planeptune like this," Thomas complained as he strolled down one of the main streets with IF and Compa, "I was so used to the traffic and noise."

"People are still in hiding until the state of emergency is lifted," Compa said, "Maybe once we find Nep-Nep, Histoire can have it lifted?"

"With most of Planeptune now reconnected, we could get the Guild to help provide more defense against any raids. I'm sure there are adventurers willing to help, too," Thomas pondered.

"That's true," Compa noted, "There are a lot of Makers around to recruit. Scouts. Adventurers. Maybe we can get people from Ultradimension to help too."

Thomas nodded, "Right. Their help will be required just as much as the CPUs while this crisis goes on. Such is the way things tend to be in Gamindustri." He sighed a little, recalling the previous times the world was in peril.

IF grimaced as she tapped on his phone the whole time the two were talking. Compa finally paid some attention, "Iffy? You got a message from the others?"

"I sure do," IF complained, "But I think Plutia is just excited to use a bunch of emoticons."

"Hehe, reminds me of the time you got your first cellphone, Iffy!" Compa recalled, "You couldn't get enough of using all sorts of symbols and ASCII art!"

"I-I don't remember any of that," IF stammered, "That was such a long time ago!"

"Me and Iffy used to do some silly roleplaying via ASCII art," Compa giggled, "It certainly made the quiet school days more interesting."

"It was non-sense, that's what it was," IF cut in, before her phone vibrated with another call. This time, IF answered, "Look, why don't you call when it **is** important and-oh! Nepgear! Sorry, uh, slow down, where are you? ... Okay, I'll get the others and we'll be just a little away from there. Just, hang on!"

She hung up, and said to the two, "Nepgear found her. Nep's been leading the robots on a wild chase away from the city. Don't know how long, though. I'll call the other tw-" She winced, as her phone vibrated again, "Damnit Plutia..."

* * *

Virtua Forest. In plenty of previous adventures, Neptune always came here around the start of her journey. Considering that she usually ended up de-leveling down to single-digit levels, the forest had become a familiar sight to her.

So how did she show her appreciation for this low-level forest, this area famous for people trying to get used to the controls and gameplay of her series? Why, by luring a bunch of loopy robots away from Planeptune over here to cause mayhem and destruction! Yay!

"Phew," Neptune said as she breathed heavily, having fought a lot earlier, but the persistent enemies kept tailing her, "Come on, guys, give the main protag a break, will ya?" She hid behind one of the big trees of the forest, as she kept an eye on some of the walking robots trailing her. Showing that they apparently hold no allegiance to anything around Gamindustri, they treat the random Dogoos roaming the place as hostile, and began firing on them.

"Are they villains or an adventuring party? Or both? They better not be gaining experience points for that," She kept moving, away from the tree and, subsequently, the robots while trying to remain hidden.

She had been busy with the robots attacking her ever since the sky fell on them. She noticed that they had been targeting her as well as anything resembling a CPU. She remembered a long while back, robots attacked the market, and destroyed a Purple Heart cardboard cutout. That's quite unjustified, according to Neptune, as all that cutout was guilty of was looking good and possibly selling some merchandise. Some robots were just really angry with CPUs being marketable or something.

Neptune had since tried to lure the robots out and bring them away from Planeptune, hoping that they would at least leave the populace alone. Unfortunately, this chase has gone back and forth, with Neptune losing the robots, and then the robots would return to the city to attack again. Last time, she had to stuff Histy into a cabinet so Histy wouldn't be caught in the exchange... she hoped the little fairy was still alright despite this.

The back-and-forth was starting to tire her out, however, as she hid behind another tree as the robots continued their patrol. She wanted to keep them distracted and on her, but she was already exhausted from the flight. This wasn't even taking into account her not having enough energy to transform again. She might be the main protag, sure, but she even she knew she had her limits.

"I don't know if I could keep doing this," Neptune complained to herself, "This is seriously way more exercise than I would've wanted!"

Neptune forgot to say the loud part of her dialogue quietly, enough to cause the robots to have giant exclamation points appear over their heads, as they turned to where Neptune was hiding and began their slow pace.

"Way to control the vocal chords, Neptune," She grumbled, and clutched her katana, trying to focus herself on the upcoming fight, tired or not.

She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of incoming robots, and waited while catching her breath. She would count up to five, on which she would jump in and keep fighting. 1... 2... 2.1... 2.12...

Before she could further delay her count, the cavalry finally showed up, as Uzume, Plutia and Nepgear flew past Neptune to engage with the robots. Neptune blinked, unsure if she saw three CPUs just fly by her without her noticing, but it didn't take her long to realize. As that happened, IF ran in to check on Neptune, before gesturing in Compa and Thomas.

IF checked only briefly before Compa moved in to check on any wounds, "You okay there, Nep? Good thing we all got here just in time."

"Iffy! Compa! I'm so glad to see you both!" Neptune blinked a bit, "Oh, and hello to you too, Tommy! As you can see, your favorite goddess took a little damage, but she'll be fine thanks to all her friends. The power of friendship overcomes all adversity!"

Compa tried to hold Neptune still, "Can you please not twitch so much, Nep-Nep? The power of friendship doesn't work on a fidgety patient!"

Thomas opened his inventory to look in, "It took quite a while to find you, Neptune. In any case, I have some Nep Bull if you want anything. Of course, if Compa's healing, I could just hand you an SP Charger instead. I have some different flavors here. What's your favorite flavor, Neptune? Mine's chocolate."

"A Nep Bull will do just fine. Warrior needs drink badly!" Neptune's eyes widened as she got her free drink, and gulped down the item rather quickly. The item, and Compa's healing, helped Neptune back on her feet.

Neptune stood back up, "Alllllright! Lemme at 'em! I'll show those robots a good ol' what for!"

The humans smiled at their goddess, as she bounced into the fray to see... oh, the robots have all been wrecked by the other CPUs.

Neptune's enthusiasm simmered down, and she slumped a bit, "Aww, just when I was going to be all heroic and stuff!"

However, before IF could make any sort of remark, the group felt a sudden tremor. After several seconds of the ground shaking, the group moved away from a visible hole appearing in the clearing. A rather large drill could be seen, before the rest of the vehicle pushed up from the hole. The vehicle, having the same metallic sheen and bizarre glow as the robots that have attacked our protagonists before, parked itself near the hole.

With the tremors having stopped, Thomas murmured, "Thaaaaat's a big drill." He stepped back and equipped his not-so-useful pointy stick, wary of what was to come. The ground began shaking again, as the vehicle began to... lift itself up? Wait, are you sure this is a Neptunia game? Why am I watching clips from a sentai then? What do you mean, it's not? I'm gonna check with the draft here, be right back.

"Th-th-thaaat's a big robot!" Thomas interjected, bringing me back before I could check. Yeah, behold, a big robot with the drill being one of its hands. The robot stood twice the size of the average tree in Virtua Forest, and seemed ready to do a bit of squashing.

"That's a big transforming robot?" Neptune blinked as she looked up at the tall thing that was getting into its own fighting stance. It just stomped around the hole, soon covering the tunnel that it dug back up.

 **"A big transforming robot?"** The most excited reaction came from Purple Sister, as Nepgear's eyes grew as round as large saucers at the tech.

The rest of the group turned to glare at Nepgear for her almost gleeful reaction, before she caught herself and resumed her stance, "S-s-sorry."

"Alright then! I guess that means we get to dismantle this as a little present for Nep Junior!" Neptune psyched herself up, and pointed to the robot, "You're messing with the wrong CPUs, Drill Guy!"

With that, Neptune made her transformation into Purple Heart, now pointing her sword at the thing, "You now face the past, present, and future of Planeptune! Plus a few additional characters! Now prepare yourself for an old-school Planeptune beatdown!"

As the CPUs launched themselves at the large robot, trying to bring it down with their overpowered weapons, Thomas found himself shaking, trying to figure out what use could he be in this situation. The stick was not likely to do anything at all to it, so he had to do some observation, trying to find any sort of weak point he could exploit.

IF, not wanting to be left out, rushed to the feet of the big robot. She was fast enough to avoid getting stepped on, and jumped onto one of its feet. She then proceeded, using her katars, to stab into its shins, eventually piercing through a bit of the metallic armor. She would then use her katars to start climbing the robot, clinging on whenever it tried to shake her off.

In the skies, Iris Heart took the robot head-on, getting her blade ready. However, the robot was focused on the CPU, and punched with its drill hand right at her. Iris Heart quickly held her blade to guard, and was able to push at it, the sword sparking as the drill began spinning. "My, aren't we eager? Sorry, you're not my ty-" Iris Heart's dialogue was interrupted, as while she was trying to hold back the drill, the robot's other hand was free to give a fierce punch to Plutia, sending her flying back through a tree and crashing into some rockface.

"Plutie!" Purple Heart called out, fearing for her friend's safety as the dust kicked up from the crash. Compa ran over to where Plutia was to check up on her, as Neptune focused her attention on avoiding the next attempted punch by the robot. She barely managed to avoid it, and charged at it with her blade. Despite doing some amount of damage, it did not faze the robot's movements one bit, and she had to go back to evading its attacks.

Compa checked on Plutia, who was definitely feeling that last attack, barely struggling to sit up. "It's been a long time since I felt something that good... oof..." Iris Heart winced as Compa got her healing skills to work on her wounds.

"Please be careful out there!" Compa simply stated before finishing, "There! You should be good to go!"

"Th-thanks, Compa," Iris Heart slowly got herself up, "You're a real sweetheart. Right now, though, I intend to give that robot some extra punishment." She soon turned her face into a scowl, as a dark aura grew on her, **"Don't you know it's not nice to hit a lady? I'll show you some proper manners, robotic filth!"**

As Iris Heart charged madly at the robot, Compa simply cheered on, "Go junk that robot but good, Plutia!" She then said to herself, rather obliviously, "She really gets into these fights."

Plutia was only able to fly back and forth on the robot, trying to slice at it with her sword-whip. However, the damage she did was only minimal, only enraging her further. Meanwhile, IF had been climbing up on the robot's back, before nearly stumbling as a chunk of the robot's armor broke off where she had been climbing, and she desperately scrambled before finding another part to stab and hold onto.

Thomas, looking up worriedly at IF, noticed the chunk of armor, and the little hole it created inside. In addition, some of the armor nearby was flimsy, flapping a bit in the wind while it was moving. Thomas' eyes widened, and he looked around, before spotting Uzume in the sky, who seemed irritated that she couldn't inflict much damage on it. "Orange Heart!" Thomas yelled, pointing over at the crack in the armor, "Can you try opening that crack a little wider? We might be able to get some actual damage in!"

"Huh?" Uzume blinked at Thomas before looking at what he was pointing at, "Oh! Like, sure thing, Tomsy! You can totally leave it to Uzume!" She said happily before charging in on it.

Meanwhile, as Thomas watched, he soon felt an overwhelming sense of dread, as he heard gunshots from inbound reinforcements, three flying robot ships, heading right at him. Panicking, Thomas fled, dashing as best he could to avoid gunfire.

Neptune was quick to see this, "Hold on, Tommy!" She flew away from the giant robot, and over to intercept the ships. She quickly made short work of the first one at the back, and sliced one of the side wings on another to make it crash, exploding on impact. The remaining ship turned its focus quickly to Purple Heart, and fired repeatedly at her. Neptune was somehow able to evade the gunfire, but now she was the one being pursued.

Thomas, having stopped to catch his breath when the ships stopped firing at him, saw the ship turn on Neptune, and saw a very slim opportunity. Holding the sharp, pointy stick of honor up like a javelin, he got a running start going, and then threw as best he could at the ship, hoping it would hit.

"I-i-it hit?" Even Thomas couldn't believe it as the stick somehow lodged itself right on the ship's tail. However, it didn't seem to have affected it. At least, for a few seconds, after which the ship started losing some altitude, sparks flying out of its engine. Being damaged, it couldn't pursue Neptune, who turned around and finished it off with her blade.

"Thanks, Neptune!" Thomas shouted as he tried to regain his breath.

"Not a bad aim with that," Purple Heart said, "You didn't tell me you were good at javelin throwing."

"Please. That was a lucky throw," Thomas grimaced, "I'm surprised that even went that high."

IF now managed to get atop of the robot, climbing on top of its supposed head. She leaned over to look right at the robot's... eyes? Optical sensors? Whatever it was, IF glared at it, then pulled one of her eyelids and stuck her tongue at it, taunting with an akanbe. As the robot stopped at the visual, IF then began to jab at the 'eyes' with her katars. It turned out that this robot was pretty sturdy everywhere but there, as the stabs were enough to blind it, and it began flailing its arms wildly.

While IF did that, Plutia flew up to the head, getting close to IF while avoid the robot's flailing, "Care for a little lift, Iffy? I promise to be gentle."

IF winced a moment, before saying, "I'll take my chance with you, Plutia." She soon jumped over to Plutia, who was more than a little happy to have IF in her arms, but was actually gentle as she flew IF away from the robot, settling her on the ground near Compa.

Uzume had been using her megaphone and her loud voice to yell into the crack in the robot's armor, reverberating inside and widening the crack, leaving a much bigger, much more noticeable hole.

"Nepgear!" Uzume called out as she flew back.

"Right! I got this!" Nepgear, who was unable to put much of a dent earlier, now got her weapon ready for this moment. Calling on her power, and SP, she pointed her gun blade at the crack, and shouted, **"M. P. B. L!"** A massive beam shot out of the gun, causing some recoil as she flew back a bit. The beam shot into the hole, and through the other side, causing a chain reaction of explosions within the robot. It was still standing, but definitely not invulnerable.

"Alright, robot!" Neptune flew in front of the thing, "If it wasn't bad enough for you to keep bugging me for the last few days with your friends attacking the city, you had to make a big mess inside Virtua Forest with your stupid drilling! To top it all off, you mess with my friends, and you deprive me from some much-needed pudding time! In short, I'm really ticked off!"

Uh oh, usually Neptune is not the sort to get really angry, even when she becomes serious in her HDD form. However, this series of events have driven Neptune to such a rage that she has only one choice.

"Time to end this with **Neptune Break!** " Yes, the goddess has brought about the move that slices, dices, and juliennes anything that gets in the way. It is such a powerful move that it was once banned in the annual Neptune Fan Club fighting game tournament for being so broken and OP. Of course, Neptune wasn't going to nerf this move anytime soon. After all, she plays to win.

 **"Return to the scrap heap!"** Purple Heart exclaimed as she unleashed her flurry of super-fast attacks, sending the robot up into the air before Neptune finished it off with a massive dive attack.

The robot soon vanished after all the explosions, leaving the remains of loot to be collected, no doubt by a joyous Nepgear. The group took a moment to look around to make sure the battle was finally over.

The CPUs soon transformed back into their human selves, with Uzume happily proclaiming, "Alright! We did it! We took down that... whatever it was!"

Compa checked on the others for injuries. while Plutia clasped her hands together, proudly saying, "That was a lot of explosions! Ehehehe..."

Neptune phewed, "That was a bit more than I expected today. But hey, good triumphs over evil yet again."

Nepgear rushed in to give Neptune a big hug, "Neptune!" She resolved herself not to bawl her eyes out again. She somehow succeeded, holding onto her big sister tightly.

"Ah! Nep Junior! Ease up a little! I know, I know. I miss you too!" Neptune flushed some as Nepgear nuzzled her face into Neptune's arms.

IF smiled a little, "It's good to see you again, Nep. It took us quite a while to finally get to you."

"Sorry about that," Neptune remarked, "But, you know, I was in high demand, apparently. Robots couldn't get enough of the Nep."

Uzume blinked, as her visual radio beeped, and she answered, "Uh, hello?"

"Uzume!" Histoire was the voice on the other line, "Did something happen on your end? Is Neptune okay?"

"Great timing, Histy," Uzume replied, "We just had a battle with a big robot, and Nepsy's alright."

"Histy! I'm glad to hear you again!" Neptune exclaimed, "You sound like you're alright!"

"Yes, thankfully I finally got out of that cabinet you stuffed me into," Histoire pouted.

"Uh, well, I'm sorry about that. I didn't want you to get hurt," Neptune winced.

"It's alright, but next time please don't do something like that. I am capable of hiding on my own should the need arise."

"So, what's with the perfect timing, Histoire?" IF asked, "Did something happen on your end?"

"Correct, IF," Histoire said from Uzume's radio speaker, "I've received word from the Guild, both here and around Planeptune, of the robots ceasing their attacks and withdrawing altogether. They just suddenly stopped attacking and fled."

"That's great! Uh, it is great, right?" Neptune asked.

"That appears to be the case," Histoire responded, "I am not sure why they have fled, but for now, it appears Planeptune is safe."

"So we won?" Compa blinked.

"For now," Histoire said, "I would recommend, however, for everyone to return to the Basilicom. We need to figure out our next course of action if we are to save the rest of Gamindustri."

The group ended the call and happily celebrated their victory, welcoming Neptune back into the fold, with Plutia joining the hug Nepgear had on Neptune. Compa and Uzume joined arms with IF as they praised her for her efforts. As for Thomas, he was still catching his breath, walking over to check where his weapon was among the wreckage of robots. The stick was planted into the ground nearby, sticking up like a sword waiting to be pulled.

Thomas paused a while, just looking over the stick, before turning around to meet with the group, leaving it there.

This adventure was finally over.

Another was to begin.


	10. ACT I: Planeptune Finale

**(With Act I all done, I have to look and say... crap, here comes the heresy I was warning about. I think? I'm a little concerned about how this fanfic's going and hopefully this and the events coming up later won't be a huge turn-off. This has been an interesting experiment in writing, since I haven't done this in a long, long while. Maybe I'm just rambling here and I have nothing to worry about, and I just have to keep going ahead! Either way, hope you enjoyed the story so far, and hope to hear from all of you!**

 **Also, I should probably slow down on the updates. Give this fanfic and the readers some time to breathe! Ramble ramble ramble okay I'll shush now! - Some bozo who wrote this story.)**

* * *

Thomas woke from a long, dreamless sleep after the group made it back to Planeptune. While Histoire told them all to meet at the Basilicom, they all decided to rest for the night, as everyone was tired from the battle.

Thomas, in particular, was not in any rush to get up. He had convinced himself that his part in the crisis was over. The Planeptune CPUs could now get to work on bringing down the firewall on their own. It wasn't like he would be particularly useful, anyway. He had no powerful weapon, no magical talents, no expertise in healing... he was equipped with a wooden stick, for crying out loud. Yep. This was it.

Walking out of the hotel after paying for the night, Thomas stretched a little and surveyed the city. With the state of emergency gone, the city was getting back into the swing of things. It wasn't as busy as the typical day in Planeptune, but people were trickling in. Thomas closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the city, before he sighed, and continued to the Basilicom.

Thomas peeked into the lobby from the entrance to see Histoire talking with the others. Apparently, they were still talking over what had happened in the past several days. Thomas walked in quietly, and took a moment to look at the back wall. The damage there was already being handled by a group of repair workers. That was quick of them to show up.

"Oh! Hello Thomas! Did you sleep well this morning?" Uzume was first to notice, and waved at him. This brought the others to turn their heads, and Thomas felt a bit of a sweatdrop behind his head.

"The sleep went well," Thomas said quietly, "It's been a while since I got a good sleep. Umm... don't mind me, please continue."

"Oh! Apologies," Histoire interjected, "I just wish to take the time to thank you for bringing this over." She offers the tome back to Thomas, who seemed confused by the offer.

"Um, you probably need that a lot more than I do," Thomas noted, arching an eyebrow.

"Hmm?" Histoire paused, "Oh, I have read and memorized all the contents. There is no need for me to hold onto it."

"Well, uh," Thomas was still puzzled, "One of the others could hold onto it but... alright, I guess I can always return it back to LAN Castle at some point."

Histoire blinked, "Oh? So you are not to be joining the CPUs to help bring down the firewall?"

Thomas paused, as he surveyed the varied different looks of the other girls watching the conversation. There was a mix of confusion among the cast, as most were unaware. "Well," Thomas said with his eyes looking back to the book fairy, "I came here to bring this over." He pointed to the book, "I'm not going to be of much use to the party, especially if they're going to be fighting. I... I should leave this to them."

"Whaaaaat? That's not fair!" Neptune jumped in, pointing, "What are you, some kind of guest party member, just popping in for a fight or two, only to leave before the next act? You're not dying in the next act, are you? Or," She gasped, as she went into her overacting, "Are you a villain? Are you going to turn on us? Is all this being a weak party member really just a ruse to throw us off? I will not stand for such lame treachery!"

"I am not a villain!" Thomas scoffed, then did another take, "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"You can't just leave the party now!" Neptune complained some more, ignoring the weird looks she got by Histoire and IF, among some others, "I finally show up to take my place as the main protagonist, and you decide to head off! I find this development most unwelcome!"

"It's dangerous," Thomas said bluntly, "Do you really think it a good idea to bring me with you?"

"I do!" Neptune argued, "I just don't know why yet. I will find out, though, and when I do, I will tell you!"

"Nep, you can't just force people into a party if they don't want to join," IF said as she cut in, "That's not how things go."

"But that's what I do, Iffy!" Neptune continued, "How am I supposed to engage in silly antics with someone if they're not gonna be traveling with us?"

Histoire sighed, "Please, Thomas, ignore Neptune's behavior for now. At the very least, please stay while I discuss what will happen next."

"That was my intention," Thomas replied, as Histoire reluctantly took the tome back, "I would like to know over what happened this time, and what plans are in motion."

"Aha! So, he's spying on us, trying to get us to spill the beans on what we're doing, so he can report to a super-secret evil organization!" Neptune went back to the villain theory on Thomas, "Villain! Knave! Mal-e-fac-tor!"

"Neptune, please control yourself," Histoire noted, moving closer to her, "I believe it may be of benefit for Thomas to hear all this."

Histoire said a few quiet words to Neptune, before Neptune sighed, "Fine! But if it turns out Tommy's a turncoat, I call dibs on throwing him into the sun."

"The sun?" Thomas blinked, "I don't know whether to be worried or flattered at the... unique threat."

Neptune just pointed to her eyes before pointing at Thomas, just to note that he's being watched. Thomas only shook his head, as Histoire returned to meet with the others.

"In any case, as we've discussed before, the objective is to remove the firewall entirely. However, there are a couple of obstacles to overcome," Histoire began her exposition, "After reading the tome, and doing some research of my own, I believe I have an answer to what this firewall is."

Compa spoke, "Is there really a reason for the sky falling? Or the robots attacking?"

"The firewall, what we've been dealing with since the 'sky fell', was not supposed to fire off the way it did," Histoire began, "In truth, the firewall is part of a fail-safe within Gamindustri. It was to trigger in the event of a major viral incursion. Its objective was to put a quarantine around the affected area, and attempt to subdue the infection."

"A viral infection? Are we talking about the kind that make the monsters go crazy?" Uzume thought aloud.

"It is," Histoire said, "Usually this is the result of Share Energy being so low, that monsters can go viral, becoming more dangerous. However, this firewall was made at a time when CPUs were in their infancy. Over time, and even during the days of ASIC, the firewall program had become inactive. Being inactive for so long, the world had since forgotten about it."

"But now? Why is it all over this world? And why are the CPUs being targeted?" IF asked as she held her hands on her hips.

"That is something I do not know," Histoire frowned, trying to think about it, "I can only surmise a theory, but something must've happened to the program that would trigger the firewall to occur. Until we find out for certain, I can only surmise that the robots attacking are part of this program, sent to subdue anything CPU-related."

"Are you saying that the robots think we are a virus?" Plutia looked even more confused than usual.

"Th-this is only speculation on my part," Histoire admitted, "However, that is the best hypothesis I can think of based on current evidence. Working on that assumption, our first priority should be to remove the barriers all around Gamindustri."

"Should we not find where this program is and, uh, reprogram it?" Nepgear asked.

"Unfortunately, that would not be possible, as I cannot pinpoint its location," Histoire answered, "The only way to find out where it is located is to get rid the barriers one at a time. I will continue to research here, and keep in contact with the Guild as our agents will look around for clues. For now, however, your priority should be to liberate the other nations."

"Okay, any particular plan this time around, or do we go in blind like before?" Uzume queried.

"From what you have told me, and from what I could gather, it appears as though some of the barriers out there would be currently impossible to bring down unless you have a little more Share Energy. Although we have liberated much of Planeptune, there are some barriers that are stronger than others," Histoire continued, "In the south and to the east, for example, the barriers have grown in intensity since you defeated that boss and the other robots have withdrawn. It is possible that those robots have simply retreated to reinforce the area they still have contained."

"So, Leanbox and Lastation are inaccessible at this time?" IF pondered.

"Until you gather more Share Energy, that appears to be the case," Histoire spoke, "The current course of action I recommend is to go north, through the terrain there, and work your way to Lowee. After that, I believe you may be able to go through Lastation, and sweep into Leanbox afterwards."

"You're going clockwise around the world, in other words," Thomas finally said something, before wincing a little, "You said that the barriers are strong in the south and west. Does that include the area where the Gamindusti Graveyard used to be in?"

"Unfortunately so," Histoire nodded, her eyes not meeting with Thomas as she sighed, "Which means that the Colosseum there, as well as the new cities of the coast, are currently stuck behind the barrier."

Thomas closed his eyes, grimacing while saying, "I can't get to my new home presently, then."

"Hold on a moment," Uzume interrupted, "Cities of the coast? I recall something about a Colosseum around those parts, but I don't remember hearing anything about cities."

"The Azure Coast," Thomas coughed a little to clear his throat, "The cities were just recently founded, around the time of the last crisis, when the CPU Shift Period occurred. At the time, many citizens, myself included, were lost after the world somehow forgotten about the CPUs, and the Gold Third were in charge for a time. Many of us were cleaning up around the former Graveyard. We encountered more aggressive monsters during this time, and we all set up supposedly 'temporary bases' in the region to combat the threat. Many came to assist, and during the time, our memories of the goddesses returned. Even though many of us were faithful, we wanted to be certain the area was safe for people to travel. Eventually, we managed to settle into homes, and the bases turned into little hamlets, then villages, and finally cities. They aren't huge like the national capitals, but it's home all the same."

"Currently, there are four cities in the region," Histoire noted, "And are governed independently under newly elected civic officials. They have not pledged to any one nation as of yet, though it appears they have urged neutrality, insisting on free worship of any CPU. They rely on the Guild for defense, but I am certain the cities will be hiring their own as they grow further."

"It was a pet project of mine to clean up the Graveyard when I was promoted within Planeptune," Thomas said, "So when I left a little after the Ultradimension crisis, I focused my attention on the efforts there, eventually settling. The first 'base', Zephyr, is my current home." He sighed, "I was looking forward to heading home, maybe go fishing or something, but I guess I have to wait."

"Perhaps so," Histoire said, "But you might wish to travel along with the CPUs for another reason."

"I don't really want to be fighting again," Thomas grumbled.

"I understand," Histoire said, "But I believe you might be of more assistance than you believe. If you wish to continue helping Gamindustri, and eventually liberate your new home, your help would be of benefit."

"Yes, when the robots attack, I can go poke them with a stick. Seriously, Histoire, what are you getting at?" Thomas was not too pleased with the conversation turning back to him, hence not even being formal with Lady Histoire. It's the little things!

"It was something I wasn't too sure of before," Histoire said, taking a moment to think, "But after what I have been told, it appears to be the case."

Before Thomas could argue, or vent his frustration, Histoire turned to Uzume, "Uzume, when the firewall dropped initially, you said you were cut off from Share Energy and thus unable to transform, correct?"

Uzume nodded, "It was just me and Tomsy at the time. There was no else that could offer faith to help the goddesses transform. During a major battle outside Narita, Thomas offered a prayer pleading for the goddesses' help." Thomas flustered, trying to hide his face turning red, "It was then that I felt enough energy to transform."

Histoire nodded, looking to Plutia next, "I believe you were transformed when you got lost in a cave, is that so, Plutia?"

Plutia nodded, "Uh-huh! I was beating up lots of baddies! But I was getting rather tired, even in HDD. It was when Tommy jumped in with Uzume that I somehow got more excited. Like a second wind, I think?" She pondered on this.

Histoire continued over, looking to Nepgear, "Compa's medicine helped you revive, did it not?"

"Of course! That awful-tasting medicine would wake up anyone!" Nepgear winced, still remembering the taste. Compa just giggled as Nepgear's silly facial reaction.

"Yet, you also mentioned that you felt a sudden burst of energy as well?" Histoire asked.

"Yes, I did," Nepgear said, "I felt a new rush of energy, as though I had just gained new shares."

Histoire nodded, and looked to IF, "And what was Thomas doing at that time, IF?"

"He was just quietly praying," IF blinked, "I don't get what you mean, Histoire. I mean, anyone can offer faith to the goddesses."

"That is true," Histoire added, "However, Thomas is one of the few cases of people within Gamindustri where faith can actually be amplified by proximity."

"I'm sorry, what?" Thomas said with a deadpan delivery.

"Your faith in all of the goddesses, not simply one over the other, over time has led to a type of resonance within you," Histoire said, "Some people have that sort of effect, where they can amplify Share Energy to any nearby CPU, adding a little more to their strength. The effect can increase with prayer, among other things. IF and Compa have that sort of resonance. However, your amplification is a lot stronger. I had a feeling when you first came to Planeptune that it was the case, as I could feel the Share Energy increase near you. Now, I am certain this is the case."

"So!" Neptune piped in, putting it all together in her head somehow, "Meaning if we bring Tommy with us, we have a little power booster coming along?"

"Correct!" Histoire beamed to Neptune, and the two seem rather pleased.

"So even if I am not a fighter," Thomas grumbled meekly, "I should come along anyway to make it a little easier for everyone else?"

"Riiiiight, that's the ticket!" Neptune pumped her fists, "Don't you worry about a thing, though! Because we'll be around to protect you! No one's messing with Neptune's newfound amplifier!"

"I didn't say I was going," Thomas muttered, still trying to find an out.

"Quit being such a stick in the ground!" Neptune said the metaphor all wrong, but didn't care, "You always said you wanted to help our Gamindustri. Well, now is your chance to do so, all while travelling the world with a bunch of cute girls! Seriously, why would anyone say no to that? I mean come on!" She leaned in, eyes widening as she tried to plea with Thomas, "Pretty please? With pudding on top?"

"G-" Thomas recoiled from Neptune's plea, and closed his eyes again. Mustn't stare at the puppy eyes! No... musn't... give... up! Oh wait, I'm just the narrator, I am fine with this. But I am pretty sure Thomas was thinking that as he slowly broke from the pressure.

"Nep, don't make those eyes at him, there's no need to be so manipulative," IF scolded Neptune.

"No, no, it's alright," Thomas sighed, and said quietly, "If this is to help everyone, I don't think I should refuse."

"So you'll help?" Histoire asked once more.

"... Much as I am wary to do this, I cannot say no at all," Thomas said reluctantly, "It would drive me nuts if I just said no to that face."

"Once again, the power of the main protagonist wins out!" Neptune smiled at her victory.

"Are you sure?" Thomas said, before mocking, "Should you not be watching your back? After all, I could still be a villain this whole time."

"Oh, I was just messing with you, honestly!" Neptune said with just a little doubt in her voice, although Thomas didn't pick that up, "You should know better than to take anything I said seriously!"

Thomas teased, "Oh? So I guess that promise to protect your little amplifier was also a joke?"

Neptune bahs, crossing her arms to pout, "You know what I mean! Besides, I'd protect you even if you weren't resonating with shares! Friends and all that!"

"Friend, huh?" Thomas pondered, "Alright, then, as friends, I should join up, then."

"Exactly!" Neptune pointed at him, "Now join my party!"

"..." Thomas glared at Neptune.

"Uh, please?" Neptune winced.

"Sure," Thomas said, "For a friend, and for Gamindustri's sake."

"Good, now that the whole matter involving Thomas has concluded," Histoire spoke, "I urge you all to be careful, and wish you all good luck. Lowee should be your first stop. Also, if you can find the CPU and CPU candidates of that nation, the better. Their assistance will be vital."

Plutia cheered, "Yay! I get to meet the snowy version of Blanny!"

"I hope Rom and Ram are okay," Nepgear fidgeted, worrying about her friends.

"I'm sure they can handle themselves," IF noted, "but we'll help them, all the same."

"To Lowee!" Neptune pointed north, trying to strike a cool pose that just looked a bit too forced.

"... What she said," Thomas said, rubbing the back of his neck as he started to walk off with the others.

"Sure, kill the mood," Neptune grumbled, "Seriously, Tommy needs to gets more invested in this! How can people get excited when an adventurer is just not into it?"

* * *

 **ACT I COMPLETE**

 **NEPSTATION!**

* * *

Neptune and Nepgear were with us today for this Act-Ending edition of Nepstation, as they are sitting nice and comfortably behind the news desk.

"Welcome to the end of Act I! I'm Neptune, and with me today is my lovely little sister, Nepgear!" Neptune cheered.

"Hello everyone! It's good to see you all here!" Nepgear smiled happily.

"About 10 parts and over 40,000 words later, the first act comes to a close!" Neptune proclaimed, "Not to mention that I am back in action!"

"I'm glad to see you're with us and not captured or killed early in the story!" Nepgear said, pleased it wasn't one of those stories.

"You worry too much, Nepgear!" Neptune put her hands on her hips, "Besides, it's thanks to all of you that I get to spend more time with you!"

"Neptune..." Nepgear said softly.

"Now, with the party all assembled, we're getting ready to head to the next Act!" Neptune promoted.

"Thomas has been re-added to the party as well," Nepgear added, "Although he still seems reluctant."

"At least he'll be of use as a wonderful little plot device!" Neptune teased.

"I don't know if that's a nice thing to say about him or not," Nepgear frowned a moment, "But regardless, Thomas will be joining on the adventure."

Neptune nodded, "With that all out of the way, today's Nepstation will bring you the latest news in Gamindustri!"

Nepgear beamed, "Yep, we have a few stories to offer before the end of this part! Please stay tuned to this and other stories coming in the future!"

Neptune claps her hands, "Yepperoni! Now, without further ado, here's our first story!"

The first news picture was of a shadow of a familiar stick planted into the ground. Neptune began, "During a trip to Virtua Forest, a couple of kid adventurers have stumbled upon a magic stick! Rumor has it that an ancient goddess once fought a huge battle here, using nothing but a stick to slay her foes! She has since planted the stick down, where it has now been found. The rumor states that whoever pulls the magic stick from the ground shall become Queen, or King, of the Forest! The title really doesn't mean anything, and I'm sure the stick isn't really magical, but the kids seem to like it! So far, no one has been able to pull the stick from the ground. Who shall become the new sovereign? We will let you know of any update as it develops!"

The second news picture showed a generic picture of space, with the text 'ACROSS DIMENSIONS' in a simple bright font.

Nepgear read her report, "With the firewall down in Hyperdimention, there was worry that the other dimensions might have problems as well. Today, Planeptune's Basilicom has announced that the portals to both Ultradimension and Zero Dimension are still active, and that both dimensions report no problems on their end."

The picture changed to a picture of Ultradimension's version of Planeptune, as Nepgear continued, "News of the firewall reached Ultradimension, with the various nations expressing their desire to pitch in to help. Their version of Planeptune has announced that it will allow Iris Heart, also known as Plutia, to assist in the party's efforts to remove the firewall. In the meantime, former Eden CPU Peashy will be keeping an eye on things in Plutia's stead."

"In other words," Neptune said, "Instead of Plutia sleeping in the Basilicom, Peashy will take over the sleeping duties! I almost feel bad for mini-Histy."

"I guess that means Peashy won't be joining us for this adventure," Nepgear said, a little disappointed.

"I guess we can't have everyone from Ultradimension join us," Neptune noted, thinking, "Can you imagine trying to have both Noires joining us? So much tsundere! I don't know if our readers can handle it!"

Nepgear blinked, then said, "Speaking of which, many adventurers from Ultradimension's ranks have pledged to offer their assistance in any way possible to help Hyperdimension's recovery. The Guild in Ultradimension has put up many quests related to Hyperdimension on their boards for their members to try out. So, if you're an Ultra member, you can still do your part to help out!"

Neptune nodded, "In Zero Dimension, spokesperson Umio had this to say!"

We went to a feed where the camera is pointed to a talking fish, who spoke quite eloquently, "We here in the Zero Dimension wish to offer any support we can to our friends in Hyperdimension. Today, I met with a very energetic Dogoo adventurer, who said that he is willing to take on any Guild request he can find in that dimension. I, personally, wish good luck to the goddesses on their mission to end this crisis, and also wish that they please take good care of Uzume, as she means a lot to all of us here. Our hearts go out to each and every one of you in these trying times."

Returning back to Nepstation, Nepgear noted, "Umio is currently in charge of both Zero and Heart Dimensions while Uzume is away." She then phewed, "That's a lot of work for a revived goddess to deal with."

"I kinda wanna meet with this Dogoo adventurer now," Neptune said happily, "I bet he's a real cutie."

Nepgear read a little more of the report, "Not everyone was supportive, however. One local eggplant farmer in Ultradimension had this to say:" She read the following in a stilted manner, "A fire-wall? That sounds real-ly stu-pid! No mat-ter! I on-ly wish for no-thing but to-tal des-pair for all of those an-noy-ing C-P-Us! **MWA - HA - HA - HA - HA - HA - HA - HA - HA!"**

"Figures it would be an eggplant farmer, always up to no good," Neptune frowned, than tried to recall something, "I feel like that dialogue might be from someone, but I can't quite get a finger on it..."

The news picutre changed to a photo of 4GO. "Finally, in the wake of the firewall attack, MMO servers across Gameindustri were taken down," Nepgear read the report, "With Planeptune secured, a spokesperson for the popular game 4 Goddesses Online said they will be restarting servers in areas not affected by the firewall. In order to avoid unfairness, however, accounts that are currently in affected areas have been frozen for the time being, and events for the game have been put on hold. This means, unfortunately, that the upcoming 'Happy Egg Hunt' event would not occur. The spokesperson has apologized for the inconvenience. Other MMOs have made similar statements regarding the restarting of their servers in the future."

Neptune piped in, "And that should do it for this edition of today's Nepstation! Coming up will be some Chirper events in Planeptune! Remember that depending on feedback, Thomas' final pairing may be decided. There is certainly no final plans yet, and there is certainly, absolutely, positively not a poll on the author's profile or anything! Wink."

"Wink?" Nepgear blinked.

"Oops, meant to emote that, sorry," Neptune laughed, "But it's still early in the story. Who knows what'll happen between now and fifteen thousand years from now when the story finally ends?"

"It can't be **that** long!" Nepgear gasped.

"Kidding! Kidding! But seriously, plenty of time to decide, so no rush! Feedback is still appreciated, though! Anywho, until the next time, this is Neptune..."

"And I'm Nepgear!"

"See you in the next Act!"

The polite applause could be heard, and the show came to an end.

* * *

 **Chirper events detected!**

 **Uzume's icon appears, asking us, "So we're heading off to Lowee, huh?"**

 **Compa's icon shows up next, happily stating, "It's always good to have Nep-Nep back!"**

 **The oh-so-familiar icon of Neptune appears, with a message for Thomas, "Alright newbie, let's get you started on adventuring!"**

 **Histoire's icon appears? Huh? I don't think that's a romance option, but she's here anyway, saying, "This adventure may be difficult for you."**

Tune in next time! Oh, and we should probably get Thomas a new weapon... or do we? We probably should.


	11. Intermission: Events After Planeptune

**"So we're heading off to Lowee, huh?" (Uzume)**

* * *

"It's kind of a shame that I would be leaving so soon," Uzume said with a weak smile as she walked down the streets of the Planeptune capital, "I was just starting to relax a little in the old stomping grounds."

Uzume was walking alone for a while, taking in the scenery of Planeptune. Even after all those years, it still amazed her just how much it still had that feeling of home to her. Given that she was also the de-facto CPU of the Zero and Heart dimensions, being a CPU of Planeptune carried a lot of work as well.

She rubbed the front of her forehead as she thought about it all, "Maybe I should think about having a CPU candidate of my own, so I can slack off a little like Nepsy." She laughed, "Nah, I wouldn't want to burden her like that."

"My ears are burning!" Uzume blinked as she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Aaaah! Nepsy! Speak of the CPU," Uzume tried to keep her composure, "How long were you just there for?"

"Not long! I only heard my name mentioned in passing," Neptune said as she cupped one of her ears, "These things pay attention one moment and then stop the next. Histy says it's my attention span. Personally, I like to keep myself occupied with more interesting things, all the time. So what if I get distracted by a giant squirrel? Who wouldn't?"

Uzume laughed a little, "I guess I can't argue with that."

"My logic is impeccable!" Neptune grinned, before she switched topics, "So, Uzume, what are you chatting to yourself about?"

Uzume shrugged a little, resuming her walk down the street as Neptune followed beside her, "Just thinking about having to leave Planeptune again because of our mission. I'm still trying to get used to, you know, the whole being reborn thing. There is still so much of Planeptune I want to see."

"I know what you mean," Neptune said, "I've been at this for so long, and the nation's still growing. I don't have time to check every new spot in the neighborhood!"

Uzume smiled, "Don't you stay inside and do a lot of rolling around on the floor back at home?"

Neptune nervously laughed, "I don't do only that! Sometimes I play games or have a food coma."

Uzume rolled her eyes, though still grinning, "I don't know how you manage all of that."

"I am just that amazing!" Neptune boasted, "That, and I have a little help from my friends."

"A little help, huh?" Uzume shook her head, "Anyway, putting aside your work ethic, I still feel a little homesick, you know? I certainly won't turn back time after all that's happened, but... ah, maybe it's just me having some regrets."

"I wouldn't really worry about it," Neptune said, as the two spot someone in the distance, looking at a clothing store, "Besides, what's important is the here and now. I'm just glad to have a good friend like you, Uzume."

Uzume cleared her throat, trying not to blush and failing rather miserably, before she too noticed the person near the clothing store, "Oh! Hey there!" She waved a little, hoping the person would hear her and return the greeting.

Thomas had been staring into the clothing store as he had been in deep thought. Uzume had no problem projecting her voice, and Thomas briefly jumped before turning his head to see the two CPUs walking down. He smiled a bit and gave a wave, as he tried to recollect his thoughts.

"Hey there Tommy," Neptune said as she looked in the same direction to see what he was looking at. In the window are some outdoor clothes, but obviously there was a little more inside, "You picking up anything?"

"Oh, er, hello Uzume, Neptune, I..." He rubbed his chin as he continued, "I was going to buy some clothes for the upcoming trip. Since it's Lowee, I thought about getting some winter gear."

Neptune could pick up a clue as she saw Thomas shiver a bit while he was thinking, "Ah, right. You're not a winter person, are you?"

Thomas sighed, "Why did the first destination have to be Lowee? I'd much prefer the calm sea breeze to the cold snow of Lowee."

"Oh, I don't know, I think it would be kind of fun to check it out," Uzume said as she leaned in to stare in the window, "I never really did much sight-seeing of the other nations when I was the only CPU here. I'd actually love to see what it's like."

"Well, I won't lie," Thomas admitted, "I hate the weather, but it is a nice place to go visit. That tagline of being the 'Land of White Serenity' isn't too far off. Everything's all so... I guess 'magical' is the word for it? Certainly makes visiting there nice, if not for the cold."

"You've been to Lowee before?" Uzume blinked at Thomas.

"Quite a lot, actually," Thomas remarked, rubbing the back of his neck, "In fact, of the three other nations in Gamindustri, Lowee was the most visited, for better or worse." He gestured a little with his thumb up north, "I went mostly during my time working for Planeptune, doing some trade route discussions, along with a bunch of others. At least the hotel there has some heating."

"Maybe you should try an activity you like in the cold to get used to it, so it wouldn't bother you as much," Neptune pondered this as Thomas made his dislike for the weather known again, "Oh, I know! You like to fish, right? You should try some ice fishing!"

Uzume's eyes widened a little as Thomas shivered again thinking about the idea, "Standing in the cold, over a frozen lake, waiting for a fish to bite. I don't know, that doesn't calm me as much as when I normally fish. Not to mention some of the dangers involved."

"Oh, I don't know," Uzume thought about it, "It can't be all that bad. Especially if you manage to catch a really nice, chilly fish under the ice!"

"Hmm," Thomas pondered, "I have heard of some really interesting species of fish in the north. Never really gave it a try."

"Yeah, I mean, like, don't you think it would be cool to go up there, braving the weather to catch a yummy fish?" Uzume continued, clasping her hands together slowly, "Afterwards, you can bring the fish over for a nice dinner at a scenic cabin overlooking the lovely night sky?"

Thomas thought about it, rubbing his chin, "That doesn't sound all that bad, actually. Cooking fresh fish, relaxing in a little cabin, definitely with a warm fireplace to cozy up to..."

Uzume beamed, as she started to get a little into it, "Exactly! Having a lovely dinner with someone, sitting by the crackling fireplace, cozying up with little blankets!"

"Yeah," Thomas was getting into it as well, although he wasn't transitioning to a higher-pitched voice like Uzume was, "Maybe have some nice hot cocoa later, tell each other all sort of stories-"

"Uh-huh!" Uzume nodded, now in full daydream mode, "And it would be super duper awesome to, like, totally look at the night sky afterwards, looking at all the pretty stars! It's easier, because, like, you would be away from civilization, and the stars become much clearer to see, you know?"

Thomas was either unaware or continuing to go along with this, as Neptune was sweatdropping at the both of them. He added, "I always wanted to see the northern aurora lights in the night sky. I heard it's quite beautiful."

Uzume's eyes lit up, "Oh yeah! That sounds totally amazing! It's nature's very own light show! Not to mention, just watching it with someone else, wouldn't it be so romantic?"

Thomas smiled, laughing a little, "Oh, yeah, it would be, wouldn't it? Hahaha."

"Uhhhhhhh..." Neptune just looked confused at the two of them.

"Hmm?" Uzume blinked at Neptune's confused stare, then realized what she was doing, clearing her throat once again, "Er, anyway, it would be a cool thing to do and all. I'm sure you can make it something to enjoy on your own! Hahaha!" She laughed along, trying to play it off.

Thomas seemed to buy it, actually, nodding, "You're right, Uzume. I'm glad you looked on the positive side of this, it certainly made me feel better."

"Okay, hold on a moment! Timeout! Flag on the play! I call shenanigans on the field!" Neptune complained, "This is probably one of the first times I've witnessed a silly two-person conversation that did not involve me! For that, I have to step in!"

"Really, Nepsy, we were just having a conversation," Uzume's face was beet red, "I-I-It's really nothing to get upset over!"

"No Uzume, I have to call foul," Neptune pointed accusingly at Thomas, "But really, it's more on how this guy reacted when you went all valley girl again. Did you not even notice anything at all?"

Thomas blinked at Neptune's accusing finger, "What? What I do?" He was clearly puzzled.

"Oh come on, you've been around Uzume long enough to notice!" Neptune complained, shaking her finger, "She was acting all cutesy and whatever! Like any time she changed into her HDD form!"

Thomas paused for a moment, looking at Uzume who was still looking in denial about it, and tilted his head at Neptune, "She was? Okay."

"Okay? You didn't even flinch!" Neptune said, "Her personality went all 180 and you didn't notice?"

"Her personality changed?" Thomas was still puzzled.

"Wait, is he serious?" Uzume was now confused by this, "You didn't notice the higher pitch and tone of my voice?"

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, then started to look more nervous, "Uhhhh, not... really... I noticed a bit of a change in pitch, but I thought you were just excited? Happy?"

The two girls were now sharing the same look of puzzlement. Neptune chimed in, "You know how me and Plutia have different personalities when we transform, right?"

"Of course!" Thomas answered, "I was well aware of the fact. You get a lot more serious when you transform, and Plutia becomes... do I really need to explain her change?"

"No you don't," Neptune said, still trying to figure out, "And you saw how Uzume was when she changed too, right?"

"She just seemed more energetic and happy," Thomas shrugged, "That didn't seem like much of a change?"

"Nono, I mean like **really** change," Neptune corrected him, "Like, totally, really changed and stuff, you know?"

Thomas again tilted his head, still rather puzzled.

"Like a total valley girl and stuff?" Neptune blinked, and even Uzume couldn't believe what she was seeing, even though it was a little embarrassing to be on the topic. Neptune then asked, "Are you tone-deaf or something?"

"Uhhh... yes," Thomas winced, "Sorry I wasn't upfront about it, but yeah. I can't hear the exact difference in tone of any of your voices that well. If it wasn't for the complete change in demeanor, I probably would still have a difficult time telling your voice apart from when you're Purple Heart without really trying to listen in."

"Oh!" Neptune paused, "Well, that settles it, th-wait a minute!" She still pointed accusingly at him, "Then why do you still have a hard time figuring out Uzume's change?"

Thomas closed his eyes, "I don't know! I thought it was just a part of her overall personality, not some sort of specific change!"

"Overall personality?" Uzume said quietly.

Thomas nodded to the both of them, "Just her being like that is just what makes her what she is now. I dunno, I thought it was kinda charming. I guess I was wrong to assume..."

"Uh, d-don't worry about it!" Uzume stammered, "I mean, my CPU self is a still a part of me overall, so I guess I can understand. L-l-let's leave it at that, shall we?"

Thomas, feeling rather embarrassed and bad about what he said, nodded, "Alright. Anyway, I'm gonna go inside and grab some winter gear. I'll see you two a little later?"

"S-s-sure, see ya later, Tomsy!" Uzume was still feeling a little odd, as she waved to Thomas and headed off rather abruptly down the street, leaving a pondering Neptune behind as Thomas rushed into the store.

"He's not wrong, though," Neptune murmured, "From what I remember, that was Uzume's original personality before she tried to be all cool and stuff like she's doing now. Even said it was 'kinda charming'! Ha, not really smooth there, Tommy, but it seems to have hit Uzume a little. I wonder..."

Neptune shrugged, "Whatever. I'm gonna go back home. I think Compa's waiting for me to arrive. Mmmm, I hope that means pudding time."

She left, going the other way, as Uzume continued on, still feeling a bit odd, "Ch-charming? Me? N-n-no way. Guy must be crazy. Yeah! He's just a little embarrassed, is all. Right, ha, me charming. Funny... hahaha..."

* * *

 **"It's always good to have Nep-Nep back!" (Compa)**

* * *

A few hours later, back near the Basilicom, Neptune was at home, kicking her feet quite literally in the air as she laid on the floor. This was a period of rest and relaxation for the party, so Neptune made the most of it by doing what she likes: waiting for pudding.

Well, it was more having the pudding that she liked to do, but the waiting made it even more special for her, given that it was none other than her dear friend Compa who was back to prepare it. Ever since she and Compa met, it was always a treat whenever her friend would create this dish. It didn't matter that most stores on Planeptune sell them now, or that almost everyone knew about her love for the snack by now. What mattered was that it was Compa making it, smiling happily as she would serve it. It was the closest thing to bliss that Neptune could think of.

Compa was more than happy to make some for her friend, as she finally returned to Neptune's room with plenty of servings for the Nep, "It's all ready, Nep-Nep! Feel free to eat as much as you want! Just try not to overdo it. We don't want you to have an upset stomach on the journey to Lowee."

Neptune hopped up from her lazy position very quickly, walking to the table where Compa had served many containers of the snack for her to gorge. Neptune's eyes were positively sparkling, and she smiled, hugging her friend for a quick "Thanks, Compa!" before sitting herself down to begin her feast. Compa was more than happy to just sit at the table nearby and watch. For Compa, seeing a friend of hers enjoy her cooking, even for something simple like pudding, was enough to make her happy.

She loved this, even in trying times, to see her friends like this. It was no wonder that she enjoyed her nursing profession, being able to bring the smiles back to those hurting or in pain. She wasn't always successful in that endeavor, but it was worth the effort if she did succeed.

She thought about this, as she watched Neptune make the usual mess. It was definitely true that she felt she loved everyone. In fact, it was usually a point of contention with her good friend IF. Her friend would complain when Compa would help someone like Warechu, a recurring villain, or even monsters such as wild Dogoos. However, as she thought about it, she was reminded of an earlier conversation she had. This got her thinking even more, so much that even Neptune was noticing Compa's change in mood.

"Hmm? Hey Compa, something on your mind?" Neptune pondered, then was worried, "You're not asking me for some odd favor, are you? This pudding isn't just for buttering me up, is it?"

Compa looked back to Neptune, and resumed her smile, "Oh, not at all, Nep-Nep. Don't be silly! I was just pondering some things in my head. Nothing really important. Do you want another batch of pudding?"

Neptune nodded happily, "It may be a long while before I can enjoy more of that tasty pudding, Compa! Give it all ya got!"

Compa giggled, "Okay! Give me a moment and I'll make another batch! Just don't overdo it. We can save the leftovers for the adventure ahead!"

Neptune sighed contentedly, "Ah yes, a brilliant idea as always, Compa. You do know how to treat a goddess right." She continued eating from the first batch, as Compa went to the kitchen to make some more.

* * *

After Neptune had her fill, and subsequently fell into a deep sleep, Compa left the sleepy Nep-Nep and was going to head out home for a bit. She needed to pack a few things for the trip, after all. Compa made her way to the Basilicom lobby, where Thomas had been speaking with Histoire for a good while. What were they talking about? It didn't take too long, however, before the conversation ended, and the two went their own ways.

Histoire left the lobby to check into the office, while Thomas checked around the not-so-messy areas of the lobby, looking at a couple of files at a desk. Compa, curious, walked up to the desk, beside him, and said abruptly, "Hey Tom-Tom!"

"Gah!" Thomas jumped a bit in surprise, before looking over, "Oh! Hello Compa! Hope you're doing well today."

"Yep!" Compa beamed, "I just finished feeding Nep-Nep. She's sleeping now, so I decided to head back home for the night. Are you doing alright?"

Thomas shrugged a little, "Oh, I'm alright. Just, checking on these old files. Histoire said this was as much information as she could gather from the archives here on the firewall. I'll bring it with us, maybe read some of it later."

"I'm glad Histy's helping us for this. It makes this adventure a little easier." Compa stated.

"Yes," Thomas continued looking, placing the items in his inventory, "She is a pretty amazing Oracle. Sometimes I feel we take her help for granted."

"I'm sure she knows we appreciate her help!" Compa said as she peered over his shoulder to look at the files.

There was a bit of an awkward pause, as Thomas wasn't sure how to continue the conversation. He glanced over at Compa for a second, her eyes looking back up at his, "Um... something on your mind?"

"Yes, actually!" Compa said as she leaned back, beaming her usual smile and holding her hands behind her back.

"Oh?" Thomas blinked, as he was done putting things away, "Is it something I could help with, or maybe someone else can-"

"When I was feeding Nep-Nep, I was thinking about that conversation we had the other day," Compa interjected, holding a hand up to her cheek as she tried to recall, "Back in Haneda? I said that I loved everybody are you were all going 'aaaah' and all that." She giggled.

"I would like not to think about the conversation like that," Thomas sighed.

"I do!" Compa laughed, "I thought it was kinda funny, looking back at it."

"Glad to offer some humor to the mix, I guess," Thomas said as he glanced away, to the desk.

"Anyway!" Compa stopped to refocus her mind on the topic, "You said you thought I meant something else when I meant love, right? You are thinking of the more romantic kind of love?"

Thomas nodded a little, his eyes glancing up as he admitted to Compa, "It threw me off when you said you loved Neptune, IF, Nepgear... you know, everyone?"

Compa scratched her cheek she was leaning a little on, "I guess my wording was a little weird. So, I got to thinking, and I remembered having similar conversations back then, too, with IF, Nep-Nep, and Ge-Ge."

"Oh?" Thomas raised an eyebrow, "You mean on who you... **like** like, right?"

Compa nodded, "Yep, although," She kept trying to recall, and grimaced, "I can't seem to remember if I said who or not. Or was it just a question of who I liked more? Ohhh, and I just remembered the conversation taking place!" She became rather frustrated with herself.

"There's no need to think too hard on that," Thomas said as he saw Compa's frustration, "The point is, you figured out the meaning of what I said, and that's the important thing."

"Uh, yes!" Compa exclaimed, "That is true! Sooo, about who I like..."

There is a long pause, making for yet another awkward moment, before Compa stated, "I don't know!"

Thomas stammered back at the indecisiveness, and Compa continued, "What I mean is, it's so difficult to figure out! I mean, one moment, I like one person, and then another, I like another, and I don't know if I really **like** like that person, you know? I can't make such a difficult life-changing decision! So, right now, I'm just gonna keep going on until I figure out who I really **like** like!"

Thomas hummed a little, before saying to Compa, "That's fair enough. I mean, there really is no reason to rush that sort of thing. I'm sure you'll piece it all together!"

"Right!" Compa stated simply, before yet another awkward pause echoed in the lobby, "Uh, soooo, do you know who you **like** like?"

Thomas cringed, and asked Compa, "Do you really want to know something like that?"

Compa shrugged, "I was just curious! I mean, I told you what I thought about the subject... there are many cute girls in our party right now, and so many around Gamindustri. There has to be at least one you might be interested in!"

Thomas grimaced, as he actually decided to give a moment to think about it, "You have a point, Compa. Unfortunately, I think I may be in the same boat as you in that regard. I... am not really sure who I, uh, **like** like."

Thomas looked a bit concerned, as Compa suddenly cheered, "That's amazing! You and I both have no idea who we really **like** like! It appears that we are both fated!"

"Guh~!" Thomas repeatedly blinked at the wording once more, turning quite red, "What do you mean by being fated?"

Compa beamed, "Yep! We're both people who just love everybody, right? I mean, we both try our best to help out everyone! So, Tom-Tom, this means we should work together a whole lot more."

Thomas' color faded back to its normal shade, and he blinked, "Oh. Well, in that case, I mean we're gonna be in an adventuring party, so that shouldn't be a problem at all."

"Of course!" Compa said, then clapped her hands, "Let's both help each other out as best we can, alright?"

"Uhhh, sure," Thomas nodded very slowly, "Let's... do just that. For the love of Gamindustri?"

"Oooh, great phrase, yes! For the love of Gamindustri!" Compa was very pleased by this, while Thomas was just wondering what he got himself into.

* * *

 **"Alright newbie, let's get you started on adventuring!" (Neptune)**

* * *

The next morning, long before the group was set to march off into the north, Thomas yawned as he entered into the market of Planeptune. Looking around, he could see a few people getting their shops ready for the day, while others are having a cup of coffee or tea to wake themselves up. Just before Thomas could think of something to wake him up with, he heard a familiar voice call out, "Tommy! Tommy Tom Thomas Tomathy Tomato!"

Thomas stopped, turning to see the somehow energetic Neptune show up, running up and stopping to catch her breath, "Phew! I checked the hotel you were staying at, but you already checked out!"

"You're up awfully early," Thomas said, "Oh, and hello to you, too."

Neptune grinned, "I can be an early Nep! The early Nep gets the horsebird! Or was it... oh hey, they're selling bagels over there!" She got quickly distracted by some of the places serving breakfast.

Thomas sighed a little at Neptune's attention span, and said, "Okay, Neptune, before you get more distracted, just what are you doin-"

"That can wait," Neptune interrupted, shaking back and forth in place, "Nep requires food!" She looked back at Thomas with a sort of hesitant look.

Thomas shook his head, "Okay, okay, let's go get some food. Geez, Neptune, weren't you already spoiled yesterday by all the pudding Compa made for you?"

"Yeah, but that was yesterday," Neptune said simply, "Besides, have you looked at some of these foods they're making right now? I can't say no to that!"

Thomas relented, "Alright, alright, if it'll keep you still for a while, we'll get something to eat. I need a little something for myself as well so..." He looked at his inventory, and the amount of money he currently has, since he accumulated it over the course of his trek.

Some time in a line-up and less currency later, the two sat down in a little patio outside the restaurant they just ordered from. Neptune was quickly eating up some bagels and sipping on some juice, while Thomas settled for a simple black coffee.

"Really? Black coffee? So uninspired," Neptune said of Thomas' order.

"It's not the coffee, it's the caffeine," Thomas muttered before taking a small sip. "I need to keep up with all of you somehow."

"I guess I can't argue with that," Neptune said before resuming her nom-noms.

Thomas turned his head to survey the traffic in Planeptune. He was relieved to see people were getting back to somewhat normal. There were a few people passing by who recognized their goddess eating, but didn't really wish to bother her.

With one big gulp, Neptune downed the last bit of her juice, "Ah! Nothing like a little refreshment to start the morning! So, Tommy, I think it's time you and I had a little talk!"

"Is that so?" Thomas said, his tone clearly unsure what Neptune would be thinking now. It's hard to be sure when you are facing an unpredictable, energetic goddess such as Neptune.

"That's right, newbie," Neptune said with a finger pointing upwards, "We gotta make sure you are ready for your first adventure!"

"Uh, I've done some adventuring already," Thomas blinked.

"Oh nononono, I mean your first **real** adventure, because it now has me in it!" Neptune stated that as though it was a simple fact.

Thomas murmured, "I'm sure the others would be grateful to learn their help earlier does not count as an adventure."

"You know what I mean! Geez, quit being so contrarian!" Neptune complained.

Thomas sighed, "Alright, alright, just get to what you really mean, then."

Neptune ahemed, "As the main protagonist of this series, it is my duty to assist you, as... the main **co-** protagonist of this story, to be ready for the upcoming trials ahead! What that means is that we need to get you all equipped and ready for the fight."

Thomas winced, "While I can't disagree with that, I did say that I wasn't comfortable fighting."

"Yes, I know about that. I believe that point has been drilled into our poor noggins," Neptune was visualizing what she said, and put a hand on her head, grimacing, "I didn't say you should be on the front lines. We'll leave that to the likes of me or Plutie. I just want to make sure you have the right equipment in case you **have** to fight, or at least so you can better support us. You can't just be a Share Energy amplifier for the whole trip!"

"Curses, my plan for the whole trip," Thomas said dully, but Neptune was quick to interrupt.

"Yeah yeah, I put a gap in your wrench or whatever, just hear me out!"

Thomas took another sip of coffee, thinking during the time, and then let out a deep breath, "Alright, so, what's the plan, then?"

"First, we need to get supplies!" Neptune stated off her mental checklist.

"You mean like potions and Nep Bulls?" Thomas said with a wave of his hand, "Look, if you want anything from my inventory, just say so."

"Oh, right, I kinda forgot that you're the party's pack mule as well," Neptune blinked, feeling a bit silly for forgetting about Thomas' inventory.

Thomas sighed, "Great, I am an amplifier and a pack mule. I'm the greatest plot device for this fanfi-"

"Stop right there!" Neptune pointed straight at Thomas accusingly, her face looking rather serious.

"Er... yes?" Thomas looked rather puzzled.

"Look, I'll level with you," Neptune said, "I can understand if you're going to be the... sort of... **co-** main character of this story. I might even say you might be the focal point, given the way this story has you being a bit of a harem protag."

"Am I really a ha-" Thomas was about to say something, although he was a bit embarrassed to think about it, but Neptune cut him off... um, figuratively speaking. Although if you want to freely visualize Thomas being sliced in half by Neptune, you are more than welcome to!

"However!" Neptune held her finger up, "You must promise me one thing before we continue further, alright?"

Thomas slowly nodded, not wishing to add another word.

"You must promise to leave that meta stuff to me," Neptune asked, "It is one of my major character traits, and I will not have someone else take that. Could you promise that much, at least? Er, please?"

Thomas again nodded.

By the way, as a narrator, I can still break the fourth wall if I wanted to. Do you know that you are reading a fanfiction? I know, I just blew your mind, man! Woah...

"Okay!" Neptune cheered up a little, "I'm sorry if that came across a little rude. Let's get back to the actual topic, shall we?"

Thomas nodded once more, and Neptune laughed a bit, "Boxer cat got your tongue?"

"Sorry, I, uh, didn't want to interrupt after that serious exchange," Thomas cleared his throat, getting back into it, "Anyway, yeah, let's continue."

"Right!" Neptune continued, "You've got items, alright. Do you have some armor? Bracelet, armlet, that sort of thing?"

Thomas blinked, "Uh, well, I didn't really think so much about getting any of that when I was shopping for items."

"A-ha!" Neptune knew she would find something he neglected, "You shouldn't forget armor! It's not a lot, but it really is important to wear something to boost up defense, especially if you're not a high enough level."

"Okay, so I'll get a bracelet," Thomas shrugged, "I'm guessing you want me to buy an accessory or develop a disc or something too."

"Well yes, don't leave those slots empty! We're not doing any challenges here!" Neptune insisted, "Buuuut I think we might be missing something as well. Hmm."

Neptune leaned over the table, trying to examine Thomas closely. Thomas had to lean back in his seat as Neptune was getting up in his personal space. Neptune continued to hmm, before saying, "Didn't you have a weapon with you?"

Thomas thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead, "Oh crap. I thought I was done with my adventure, so I left the weapon behind."

Neptune sat back down, shaking her head, "Well, that was your first mistake. For all we know, that weapon could become a sought-after collector's item!"

Thomas paused, "It was a stick."

Neptune thought a moment, "Oh yeah! That was the thing you threw during the boss fight, huh? Nice throw, by the way."

"Uh, thanks?" Thomas was caught a little off-guard by the compliment, before shaking out of it, "I'm not being to go reclaim it, am I?"

"Nah," Neptune said, "We'll have to let that go. Besides, I think this is a good opportunity for you to get an actual weapon you can use!"

Thomas, who by now was done with his coffee, felt a little wary, "Really? I could just use my fists or something."

"Even then, it's best you have something to equip," Neptune noted, "I had an adventurer with me who used her fists but still needed something for that slot."

"So, you're saying I should decide on a weapon before continuing," Thomas concluded.

"Which means you're gonna have to go to the local weapons shop! Come on, Tommy, let's get you a new weapon!" Neptune hopped of her seat and pulled at Thomas' arm, trying to lead him there immediately.

"H-h-hey! Let me at least put the garbage away first!" Thomas said as he resisted the pull.

* * *

Thomas never really visited a weapons shop, even when he was working for Planeptune. However, it was a new experience for him, as he and Neptune entered into the shop. Thomas looked at the various weapons hung up on the wall, be they in cases or on display for everyone to see. Neptune, meanwhile, bolted for the front counter, meeting with the NPC merchant.

"Ah, Lady Neptune, what brings you here to our lovely establishment so early today? What are you buying?" The merchant, a middle-aged lady who had an eyepatch over one eye, paused for a moment, then said as she glared a bit at her with the other eye, "What are you selling? Because we're not buying anything."

"Hey there merchant lady!" Neptune didn't skip a beat, putting on a smile and being upbeat, "Actually, I'm not here to check your wares. I'm actually here to get this guy a new weapon. Figured your store might have something?"

The lady leaned back, looking at the curious man who entered with Neptune, and asked, "Does he a specific weapon in mind?"

Thomas heard the question, and visibly sweatdropped. "He's pretty much a newbie," Neptune answered for him, "I don't think he knows, exactly."

The lady looked back to Thomas, who shook his head and shrugged meekly. She smiled at him, "Take your time, young man. We sell all sorts of weapons, so please, take a look. Perhaps you will find one to your liking."

Thomas nodded, "Th-thanks." He said nervously, as he looked back at the weapons on sale, rubbing the back of his neck.

With the merchant standing by, Neptune went over to look at some of the weapons Thomas had been eyeing, "Maybe I can help some more!"

"Um, what do you mean by that?" Thomas asked, unsure of what Neptune was up to.

"Mind if I show off some of the weapons?" Neptune asked the merchant, who just shrugged and waved a hand, nodding. Neptune jumped a little, "O-kay! Let me give you a few suggestions!"

"Something tells me this is just an excuse for her to play with them," Thomas muttered to himself. Sure enough, this was partially true, as Neptune did want to help Thomas make a decision... but the weapons are all new and shiny, so she was going to enjoy herself.

The first weapon she pulled was a rather large sword, almost as big as the one she wields in HDD. She immediately did a pose with the sword, holding one hand to her head while acting dramatic, holding the sword with the other hand behind her back, "I shall fill this darkness with the light!" She then smiled and somehow lifted the sword up with both hands, "This is a huge two-handed broadsword! Surprisingly very light due to the material and, er, magic, I guess. Great for those protags with a mysterious, edgy background... oh, and for scaring a lot of people. Wanna give it a twirl? No really, it's so light you could twirl it on your hand!"

"Uh, I'll pass," Thomas blinked at the oversized sword.

"Okay, your loss!" Neptune moved to put it away, and reached for the next weapon, "Oh, how about some twin daggers? For the rogue in all of us! Maybe you can be like Iffy, being all swift and stabby!" Neptune gives the two daggers a few play stabs in the air. Thankfully, she's careful with these weapons, "Even better, you can have these daggers in all sorts of shapes! Straight, curved, oh hey, these ones look like keys! Hey merchant lady, do these work on doors or treasure chests?"

The merchant shook her head, "I could get you in contact with a locksmith if you wanted a little key that looks like a dagger, but that's about it."

"Aww, too bad," Neptune pouted, "these little daggers briefly stole my heart." She put them away, not even asking Thomas this time, who seemed to be preoccupying himself with his own search.

"Oh hey, how about a laser gun! And it has a laser pointer too!" Neptune giggled as she wiggled the pointer around on the sci-fi-inspired pistol. She thought a moment, "If I had a pet, I'd know what I'd be doing..." She looked to the merchant, "This has a safety feature on, right?"

The merchant winced a little, "Yes, but you know, you could just buy a laser pointer instead."

"Hmmm," Neptune thought about for quite some time, then shrugged, "I guess you're right." She put the laser pistol back, and looked at the next weapon, "Oh hey, a chainsaw!"

Before Neptune could grab it to go slaughter some zombies, Thomas finally picked up something, "I think I'll go with this. This will do if I ever have to deal with a nearby enemy."

Neptune stopped, and turned to take at the weapon Thomas just took, "Ah, a cutlass? You're not thinking of being a pirate, are you?"

"Uh, no, of course not," Thomas grimaced, "I just... wanted a cutlass, is all."

"Okay, Mr. Sea Lover, if that's how it is, I'm sure it'll work out. I mean... hmm, wait a minute," Neptune thought for a moment, "Didn't Nepgear use cutlasses sometimes?"

"Hmm?" Thomas pondered a moment, "Well, more sabers than anything, plus this is just a plain old cutlass, no beams or laser sword here." Although it was decked in Planeptunian colors, with white and purple shades being the most predominant, it was designed as a basic metal cutlass blade.

"Huh," Neptune simply blinked and looked at the blade some more, then smiled, "Allllright, let's purchase this thing and get going!"

"Aye aye," Thomas joked, as he went to purchase the Planeptunian Cutlass mk1.

As the two left the store, heading off to eventually meet with the others, Thomas looked to Neptune, "Um, Neptune?"

"Yeah, Tommy? Got something on your mind?" Neptune said politely.

"That... promise I made earlier. Is it alright if I ask just one question, though?" Thomas said, albeit rather nervously. Something was bugging him since he was told to leave the meta stuff to Neptune.

"Welllllll, I'll allow just one, since you asked nicely," Neptune nodded, wondering what Thomas was going to ask.

"Okay," Thomas took a deep breath, as Neptune tilted her head, "Alright. Here goes... of all the names you could have used on that first day flashback I had, why did you choose 'Nepu'?"

Neptune blinked a moment, "Nep?"

"Nepu."

"I heard the first time!" Neptune stammered, "Uh, well, I had to improvise! I had to think up a name on the spot, and I already said 'Nep' so I just added a U. There, instant name!"

"Really?" Thomas laughed, "Okay, so do you still want me to call you Nepu then?"

"I mean, it's not the first nickname I have. Although you really want to call me that of all names?" Neptune asked.

"I dunno, thought it was cute to say," Thomas said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but only when I say it," Neptune pointed out, "Can you imagine some guy like you saying it a bunch?"

"Nepu Nepu, Nepu? Nepu!" Thomas tried a bit.

"Hmm, needs work," Neptune said politely, "I personally don't think you fit the bill, but I'm not stopping you from being rather silly."

"Alright, okay, I'll leave it to you to be silly for the both of us," Thomas relented, "I can't seem to join in on the fun."

"Maybe one day you will, just like with fighting," Neptune consoled him, as the two continued down the street, off into the distance, "For now though, stay close and watch the master in action!"

The two just kept going on random tangents as they walked away. Despite the bit of teasing here and there, and the initial promise Thomas had to give, the two never seem to have a problem just talking. No real hint of actual maliciousness or conflict. Just a friendly conversation.

Perhaps that's all those two have? Hmm. Well, let's get to the final event, which actually occurred the day before so...!

* * *

 **"This adventure may be difficult for you." (Histoire)**

* * *

The day before the group would meet and start their new quest, Thomas had just picked up some things for the trip to Lowee, and was in the Basilicom. He had just stopped to speak to Histoire in the lobby on his own, and asked if there was any other information on the firewall he could use.

"I had a short amount of time to find a few old files in the Planeptune archives," Histoire said, "They are over there on the desk should you wish to bring them. I hope they might be of some use to all of you."

"Thank you, Lady Histoire," Thomas thanked her, bowing his head, before glancing over, "In seriousness, though, thank you. I do not know how the group would've continued without your help here."

Histoire smiled a little, "You're welcome, although, I must admit, Thomas, that you all worked well together to have made it this far. It must have been quite a journey to get from there to here."

Thomas stopped looking at the files, looking ahead of him before turning his head to see Histoire, "Yeah..."

There was a bit of a pause, and Histoire closed her eyes, "I take it you are still concerned about going on this mission."

Thomas nodded slowly, "Of course I am." He took a moment to rub his eyes with a hand, "I really did not have much of a choice, did I?"

"It was still your call to make," Histoire said politely.

Thomas shook his head, "It was the only choice I had to make. I wasn't going to stand by as Gamindustri was still like this. Not after knowing about the coastal cities still being behind that wall. Not after all that's happened so far." He turned his head away, "Not after all that's happened before. Not after Ultradimension. Not after... well, everything else."

"Is that so?" Histoire crossed her legs on her seat on the large tome she was a part of, and fluttered around the desk so that she would be in front of him, "Tell me, Thomas. What would be your plans after all of this? After we manage to defeat this latest crisis?" She tilted her head, "Do you plan to return to your new home? Do you plan to stay in the Azure Coast?"

Despite Histoire moving around to meet his eyes, he still kept looking off into the distance, as though talking to himself, even as he was aware of Histoire, "I don't know." He sat down at the desk, trying to hold his head up with a hand, as he kept thinking. He paused for a good time, before saying, "Part of me wants to get away from everything. Withdraw from public life, maybe. Maybe go find a quiet area again, take up some more fishing... become a hermit, just like my father was."

Histoire nudged herself down a little, still trying to meet with Thomas' eyes, "Is that what you really want? To leave everything behind? Are you for certain sure that is what you want? Or, are you simply unsure of what you truly want? Of what your heart tells you?"

Thomas frowned a bit, finally meeting Histoire's eyes as she looked at him curiously, "You might know, being a tome recording all of history, but... I always felt like I was on borrowed time, ever since I came here from the west. Even lately, I had multiple times where I was saved. It's a strange luck I've had. The only thing I ever thought about during my time here, was before my luck runs out, the best I could do was help create a Gamindustri the people of today could enjoy. Maybe make it safer. I don't know. Something!"

He sighed, rolling his eyes, "Sounds incredibly corny. But that's all I have left to do. After all of this is done... I..." Thomas threw up one hand, just feeling rather tired and exhausted, "I don't know."

Histoire looked down a moment, then slowly shifted her position on the tome, saying, "You may have thought that your life stopped after Hello Continent, Thomas. But I disagree with that entirely," she asserted, "I believe that your life started right after you landed, and after that fateful day in Rebeat Resort. You may feel frightened by what's ahead right now, but I can say with certainty, that there is still more to that life."

Thomas rubbed another one of his eyes, looking down to the files, "Well, Lady Histoire, what I can say for certain... is that you have much more faith in me, than I do in myself."

"Rather odd, I would say, of someone who has a lot of faith in others," Histoire noted, "Though unsurprising."

Thomas could hear the sound of doors opening in the lobby, as someone was coming in, "Ah, well, thanks, Lady Histoire. I'll, uh, I'll definitely have a lot to think about over the course of this."

"Please, do take care of yourself," Histoire said as she was readying herself to go to one of the offices, "And be sure to keep an eye out. Perhaps you will find what you were looking for."

Thomas nodded slowly, "Talk to you later, Lady Histoire."

The two would go their separate ways eventually. Geez, Thomas, relax a little, will ya?


	12. ACT II: The Family Tree

**ACT II: INTO THE FROZEN NORTH**

* * *

After some rest and getting supplies, the party met just outside the Planeptune city limits to the north. Neptune and Thomas arrived at the designated spot rather early, so when IF arrived, she was in for a surprise.

"Alright, made it fi-" IF was in the midst of congratulating herself, "N-Nep? Wait, you got here first?"

"That's right, Iffy! **First!"** Neptune boasted in triumph, "Feel the power of the main protagonist!"

"Th-that can't be possible! How did it happen?" IF said in shock.

"Compa gave her some pudding so she went to sleep much earlier, I would imagine," Thomas theorized.

"Huh? Oh, of course, that makes a bit more sense now," IF phewed, "Of course an early food coma would have her up earlier."

"Whaaat?" Neptune frowned, "Come on, so I slept much earlier and woke up early! Big deal. I could've goofed off the entire morning, you know!"

"Indeed," Thomas added, half-teasing the next bit, "The fact that you didn't shows how much you've progressed, Neptune!"

"Yeah, Nep," IF smiled, "Maybe you're starting to finally improve your work ethic!"

"You two are terrible," Neptune pouted, "I can't even complain for a second before you two have to compliment me!"

"Take the compliments as they come. You never know when they'll show up again," IF joked.

"In all seriousness, Neptune, thanks for the assist there, even if you were kinda goofing around a little," Thomas said happily.

"Daww, I can't stay mad, or happy, at you two for long!" Neptune said as her mind wasn't sure what emotion to take.

IF glanced over at Thomas, noticing a small scabbard by the man's left side, "Thomas, is that a new weapon you got there?"

"Uh, yeah," Thomas nodded, as he unbuckled his new sword belt to better show the sheathed weapon to IF, "Me and Neptune went to the weapon shop to buy something new."

"Can I take a look at it?" The voice of Nepgear cut in as she surprised everyone, popping up between Neptune and Thomas. This caused both Neptune and Thomas to jump in surprise.

"Aah! Nep Junior, sometimes I worry about your ability to teleport like that, giving your sister a jump scare!" Neptune gasped.

"Ehehe, sorry Neptune," Nepgear said apologetically, "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I wasn't really teleporting, though."

"At least say hello first, or 'Neptunnnnnnnnne!' so I can hear your alarm in time to prepare!" Neptune joked.

Nepgear giggled, "I promise I'll be more careful next time." Thomas, after the initial jump scare, held the scabbard over to Nepgear, who took it and spent some time examining it.

"I didn't think they would still be make new cutlasses, and a metal one at that!" Nepgear said excitedly, unsheathing the weapon to get a better look at the blade, "The craftsmanship looks pretty good, definitely a sharp blade. The handle's metal as well, so it should be pretty sturdy. The white and purple colors painted on the handle look nice too."

"I didn't think you'd be interested so much in the weapon," IF said, "Aren't you more into mechanics?"

"Of course I am," Nepgear nodded, "But I always like to appreciate older technologies, even old weapon tech. Appreciate the old in order to love the new. Kinda reminds me of some of the blades I wield, too."

"Uh, yeah, so it is," Thomas said as Nepgear returned the cutlass to him, Neptune giving him a wry look.

"Will it be enough to deal with those robots we encounter?" IF asked him.

Thomas answered, "It should. I mean, your weapons did, after all. If not, I'll try to find a squishy weakness to exploit. Though really, I'll leave most of the major fighting to you all."

"We'll definitely protect you," IF noted, "But if you can help in any way, do not hesitate."

"Uh, right," Thomas said as he was about to put his sword belt back on, when Uzume walked in.

"Hey guys, hope I didn't come in too late," Uzume said while looking at who's in the group so far.

"You're not late at all," Neptune said, "Still waiting on Compa and Plutie to show. Just hanging out here while we wait."

"Ah, good!" Uzume grinned, "I thought I was going to be late after stopping by a crepe stand. Oh hey, Tomsy's got a new weapon I see. Did you trade that stick in?"

"More like threw it away," Thomas said, "But yeah, got a more sturdy weapon to use."

"The belt looks nice on you, too. Not bad," Uzume beamed, as Thomas muttered a quiet thanks.

"Anyway, looking forward on what we're doing, what's our first step?" IF asked.

Thomas cleared his throat, and spoke, "We'll have to go north to get through to Lowee. Unfortunately, that means we'll have to go through a couple of areas before getting there proper, as Lowee is more to the eastern side of the continent." He pointed in a northerly direction, "We'll have to start by getting through the Touge Mountains. There may be a bit of climbing before we get past there. It should not be too bad though. After that, we'll be dealing with the Hex Grasslands and the Atari Marsh. It's the least populated region on the continent, but there will be plenty of monsters to deal with."

"Which means we're going to have a hard time finding spots to rest," Nepgear concluded.

Thomas shook his head, "Not quite. Even though the Touge Mountains are generally uninhabited, it does contain a few areas along the coast where there are outdoor cabins. These areas usually don't have many monsters, and are usually places for tourists, sightseers, or party-goers." He adjusted his hoodie a little before he kept going, "It may mean the trip will be longer, but we'll have a chance to rest in the middle of the trip."

"Speaking of rest, hi everyone!" Compa cheerily waved as she walked in, pulling with her the ever-so-sleepy Plutia with a hand, "Sorry about the wait. I dropped by the Basilicom to chat with Histy and saw Plutia still napping on one of the office room floors."

Plutia yawned, "Sorry about that. I was just having a nice nap."

IF shook her head, "We might've gone without you, Plutia."

"Plu?" Plutia's eyes pleaded, "Don't do that, Iffy! I wanna come too!"

"Heh, I'm guessing we'll take the long way to Lowee, then," Thomas concluded, "I'd rather not leave Plutia behind, and some rest will keep our energy up."

"I concur!" Neptune added, "We can smash some baddies together just like old times, Plutie!"

Plutia's face lit up, "Yay! I'm so glad I can finally help Neppy again!"

"Let's not rest too long, though," Uzume argued, "I want to make sure our friends are still alright."

"Let's get moving, then!" IF clapped, "Time's a wastin'!"

"Where are we going again?" Plutia asked confusedly, not having heard much of the conversation.

"Just follow us and you'll do fine, Plutie," Neptune said.

"Sure thing, Neppy!" Plutia figured that order was good enough for her.

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Thomas' icon popped up, stating: "There are a lot of Planeptune CPUs..."**

* * *

As the group began their trip north, Nepgear went to chat with his sister, as Thomas checked on the sleepy Plutia.

"You'll be able to keep with us on this trip?" Thomas asked, a little concerned.

"Ehehe, I'll be fine," Plutia said as she stretched, "I can keep up just enough so that if we get in a fight, I'll jump in and **wham!"** She swished her plushie around, but it was the loud sound she made that made Thomas jump a bit.

"Ah, of course," Thomas remembered from the previous conversation, then asked, "Did you manage to make contact with your home?"

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Plutia smiled, "Big Histy and Mini-Histy had a long talk, and they agreed to let me stay in your party. Peashy's going to be helping with Planeptune while I'm out."

"Peashy?" Thomas pondered a moment, before recalling, "Oh, right. She's a CPU too? Yellow Heart, I believe she was called?"

"Uh-huh!" Plutia nodded, "I hope she will be okay while I'm out. She might get jealous that me and Neppy are having an adventure while she's stuck at home."

Neptune smiled a bit as she was hearing the conversation, deciding to chip in, "Yeah, P-ko can get really stubborn sometimes. Kinda reminds me of when Nepgear wanted to go on the same adventures I would go on when she was much younger."

"It was true," Nepgear sighed, "But really, I just wanted to be with my sister. I can tell you that the other CPU candidates would feel the same way about their sisters."

"It makes sense," Compa said politely, "Both Rom and Ram look up to Blanc, and Uni constantly tries hard to impress Noire."

Neptune ohs, "I know, and you've definitely proved yourselves over the years, my dear little sister!"

As Neptune was flattering her sister, who was just happy to get some attention, Thomas rubbed his chin, deep in thought, as he looked between the four current CPUs.

"Something up, Thomas? You look like you're thinking about something a bit too intently," IF asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"There's been a few things I've been pondering for a while, but didn't really get around to it," Thomas closed his eyes to think some more.

"Okay. Don't blow a fuse in there," IF joked.

Thomas opened his eyes slowly, holding a finger up, "I was just thinking, since over the last several days, I've met a couple of Planeptune CPUs."

IF held her hands on her hips, curious, "Alright, this ought to be interesting. What about that?"

Thomas checked off a list in his mind, "Okay, first. Nepgear is the younger sister of Neptune, correct?" IF nodded, and Thomas continued, "And were anything to happen to Neptune, Nepgear would be the CPU in charge."

Nepgear fidgeted, "Well, that's true of all the CPU candidates."

Thomas nodded, "Exactly! Now, when I was at LAN Castle, I was apparently saved from my fate by a spirit of the goddess Uranus, who was Neptune's predecessor..."

"You were?" Neptune blinked in confusion.

"Uzume told us about this when we all reported to Histoire," IF said, and glared at Neptune, "You weren't paying attention again, were you?"

"I will not answer that question on the grounds that it will incriminate me," Neptune said as she looked away, trying but obviously failing to look innocent about it.

Thomas just kept going, "And she was the one who was Planeptune's CPU after you, Uzume, correct?"

Uzume, who had been quiet for some time, turned her head to the conversation and looked puzzled for a second, but she soon answered, "Sorry, uh, yeah, I was the CPU before her."

Plutia blinked at Uzume, "Woah, that must mean you're, like, born so long ago here!"

Uzume grimaced at Plutia, but Thomas kept his thought going, "Does that mean that Uzume is related in some way to Neptune and Nepgear the way those two are related to each other? I mean, they're in the same nation, and the goddesses don't really have parents the same way humans do, so..."

IF and Compa gave each other a quizzical look, and started thinking too. "Huh, now that you mention it," IF said, "It didn't really come up so much before, but now I'm curious."

"I wonder, too!" Compa seemed a little excited, "I mean, does that mean Uzume is like some great sister to Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge? Or maybe she's like-"

Neptune had a look on her face that could only spell trouble. It's the face that long-time fans would know whenever Neptune was up to no good, or she was going to do something silly like irritate Noire just to get the tsundere to react. Uzume noticed Neptune's face and was already starting to not like where this was going.

Finally, Neptune burst out laughing, "Grandma Uzume! Hahaha!"

"What?" Both Nepgear and Uzume said the same thing, though for slightly different reasons.

"Gee, Tommy, I didn't think one of your little thinking sessions would produce much, but now I can't get this image of an elderly Uzume chiding us kids about the good ol' days when megaphones and dial-up internet were the rage!" Neptune giggled a bit more at the image, then tried to calm herself down as Uzume eyed her.

"Er, sorry Uzume. I didn't mean to," Neptune continued, "My mind just went there. Besides, I wouldn't be able to call you grandma or," She snickered, "Granny." She tittered, before controlling herself, "Sorry! Ahem! I mean, don't take it personally, Uzume. I think you would be the coolest grandma in all of Planeptune!"

Uzume wasn't really too thrilled about this idea, as Nepgear tried to follow on this reasoning, "I think it's wonderful to be able to have a grandparent as amazing and cool as you, Uzume!"

"Tomsy," Uzume said, motioning him over.

"G-! But I wasn't the one who-" Thomas winced, and came face to face with an Uzume who wasn't really acting cutesy or the like. No, this one, while showing a smile, was... off. Reluctant, but resigned to his fate, walked slowly towards Uzume, who then flicked his forehead, "Ow."

"That's for setting in motion the idea that I am Neptune's grandma," Uzume said, "Now even I can't **not** stop thinking about it."

Thomas rubbed the area he was flicked at, and sighed, "It wasn't meant as a slight. I thought, maybe, you would be happy to know you had a family, like the way Neptune and Nepgear act with each other."

"Well of course we're family!" Neptune said quickly, "We're all Planeptune CPUs! Of course we're related somehow!"

Plutia gasped at this, "Does that mean I'm related to you too? Like a sister?"

"You're a special case, Plutie," Neptune thought about it, "Like a distant cousin or sister-in-law or something. I'm not really sure. Besides, the rules about goddesses in your dimension don't really apply here."

Plutia laughed, "It doesn't matter. Neppy is still Neppy."

"Exactly!" Neptune said, before turning to Uzume, "It doesn't matter exactly how Uzume fits in the whole Planeptune family tree. Uzume is Uzume!"

Uzume flustered, folding her arms, "A-a-a-alright, I guess we can say it like that. Just remember!" She tried to put on a brave face, "I may be an older CPU, but I am no pushover. So don't try anything funny, juniors. Got that?"

"Yes, I will do my upmost to respect my elders, ma'am!" Neptune teased with a salute, to which Uzume sighed.

Thomas looked rather downcast after that, and Nepgear slid over, "That didn't go over well, did it?"

"My curiosity is going to kill me," Thomas said as he slumped his shoulders down.

Nepgear tried to console him, "Cheer up. Neptune will get over this eventually, and I don't think Uzume would hold a grudge... I hope?"

"That wasn't too convincing," Thomas said bluntly.

"I'm sorry. You're on your own," Nepgear frowned.

Thomas cursed under his breath, as Neptune would continue to tease Uzume on occasion while they headed for the Touge Mountains.

* * *

The group traveled along the coast going north and west, dealing with any group of monsters along their way. Thomas decided to keep his mouth shut after that last conversation, looking rather downcast.

It was around this time that Thomas tried to focus on how he would fight. The others in the party were fairly capable on their own to take on the likes of Dogoos, Bits, and Vaders. Nonetheless, this was an opportunity for Thomas to learn some experience, and maybe do some minor contribution. In previous battles, while he was still using the pointy stick of despair, he was timing his attacks to precise moments when he anticipated an attack.

In one such battle, the party had been fighting a group of multiple bird-like Chocopis; however, the birds were accompanied by Healing Dogoo, which would most likely heal a Chocopi as it was getting damaged. Having seen enough of those creatures in action, Thomas waited in the back row, readying to unsheathe his weapon. When he felt it was just before the time the Heal Dogoo would use its magic, Thomas dashed ahead and thrust with his cutlass. The attack, though weak, startled the Heal Dogoo, knocking it back and stalling its heal long enough for IF to slash it down.

Another battle saw the party taking on another Big Dogoo, which wasn't a major problem with the amount of people fighting. Still, it would occasionally knock back the front row fighters with its spin attack, slowing the fight down considerably. Seeing that the Big Dogoo kept doing the same attack after a certain point, Thomas again readied himself. When the time came, Thomas dashed at the monster immediately, thrusting the cutlass right between its dotted eyes. Again, it did not do a whole lot of damage, but it was enough to knock it back and delay its spin attack. This would enable the others to move out of the way or guard.

By the end of the battle, Thomas may not be a good fighter, but he managed to get a skill going to stun an enemy for a while, perhaps even slowing it down or lowering its defense for the others to take advantage. So, when the 'Level Up' sound occurred, Thomas was perplexed to read that he had officially learned a new move: Raster Interrupt.

"Odd name, that," Thomas remarked, confused by the fanfare. Then again, since he was not into fighting before all that has happened, he was naturally confused by the whole level up process.

"Looks like you got some moves, after all, newbie," Neptune chimed in, "Ah, the wonders of grinding up levels!"

"Well, I'm not going to be yelling out that during the move," Thomas stated as he kept following the group, "Doesn't sound remotely like a thing a hero would say in an attack."

"Just say some cheesy one-liner," Neptune noted, "Something catchy, too, so that players would have more incentive to keep using it!"

"I don't know about that," Thomas said, unsure.

"I mean, it's an interrupt skill, right?" Neptune continued, "So maybe something simple like 'Stop right there, evildoer!' or 'I don't think so!' or maybe something like 'Ah **hell** no!'"

"I'll... let you do the one-liners," Thomas murmured, "I'll stick with stabbing things."

"Sure, that works too! Be a silent protag while fighting!" Neptune joked, "You are still free to grunt or yell incoherently, though."

"Oh knock it off, Nep," IF cut in, and that was the end of that, as Thomas shrugged and moved on.

* * *

They came across the first firewall barrier in a long while, as they got much closer to the mountains.

Neptune, who had not seen how it was done before, looked to Thomas, "Okay, Tommy. What's this super technique we got to remove this thing?"

Thomas' eyebrow twitched, as he grabbed the tome from his inventory and showed the page to Neptune, "I am sure you can figure this out."

"He's still bitter about not being able to read those scribbles?" Nepgear said in an aside to IF.

"I can't really blame him," IF mumbled, "It doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

"Hey, such quality handwriting!" Neptune boasted, then blinked, "Wait, this isn't my writing. I didn't write anything like this, at least I don't remember."

"We should take a pool to figure out why it was written like this! 100 credits!" Uzume had an idea, "My bet's on time-travelling Nepsy!"

"I'd like to bet the same!" Compa pitched in.

"Eh, sure, why not?" IF put a bet in, "I'm going with it being an old font."

"I wanna bet too!" Plutia cheered, "I think that some other CPU did it! That is why me and Uzume can read it too!"

Nepgear blinked, "I... I don't think we should be gambling about how things were written. We may never know the answer to it."

Neptune ohos, "A challenge, eh? Well, I like the idea that it was me that did it, so I'm going on the time-travelling me!" She paused, "Am I allowed to bet on myself?"

"In this case, sure!" Uzume laughed, "Who knows? Maybe this is part of how we got it. Incentive to write this tome!"

"Well, even if the pot won't be that big, I can't say no! Count me in!" Neptune said with a goofy grin.

Nepgear fidgeted, "Ooooh, I don't wanna be left out!" She relented, "I'm betting it was done by aliens!"

Neptune blinked at Nepgear's response, "Aliens? Really? Why not bet on the 'It was my dear sister' option? It's the most popular so far."

"I have to bet against it, though, so if it does win, I get a bigger pot," Nepgear stated matter-of-factly, "Ehehe, I just wanted a crazy option."

Neptune laughed, "Okay, Nep Junior! I can't say it's the most likely scenario, but hey, nice to see you using the ol' noodle!"

Uzume then glanced at Thomas, "So-"

"I refuse," Thomas grumbled.

Uzume shrugged at Thomas, "Oh come on, Tomsy. It'll be fun to try and guess."

"No," Thomas pouted, and put the tome away, "Neptune, you know how to open the barrier now?"

"Uh, sure!" Neptune nodded enthusiastically.

"Then you and the CPUs get on that, I'm gonna... be around, probably just look out at the sea for a bit of alone time," Thomas sighed and moved close to the edge to just watch the waves.

"Uhhh, okay then!" Neptune shrugged off Thomas being a downer, "I guess we all form a line of friendship or something to take down this barrier, yes?"

Plutia nodded, "Yep! Come on, Neppy! Try it out!"

Uzume just shook her head at Thomas for not joining the pool. Oh well, it's just 100 less credits for the pot.

* * *

After Neptune had figured out how to bring the barrier down, Thomas rejoined the party and set off. It was not long before they were no longer outside in the Planeptune plains, as they found themselves at a large cliff overlooking the coast. Unfortunately for them, in order to keep going along this path, they would have to climb up one of the hills.

Thomas moved ahead, examining the rockface and looking up a couple of feet, "Damn, looks like no one left anything."

"Is something the matter?" Nepgear asked, as she wondered what Thomas was doing.

"I've only been this way a few times, but usually when we get there, there would be a rope or ladder or something to help climb this part," Thomas grumbled, "Looks like no one left anything here for us to use, though."

"Doesn't look so bad," Neptune said, "We can just transform and fly up there!"

The humans in the party glared at Neptune, who came to the realization, "Ohhhh, right. Some of us can't fly. Silly me."

"Even then, the CPUs shouldn't waste their Share Energy for a little climb like this," Thomas sighed, and checked within his inventory.

IF stepped up, "I can get up there on my own," she said as she got ready to do some climbing again. Ever since that last boss, she had been itching to show off once more.

"Okay," Thomas took out a rope from his inventory and gave it to IF, "When you get up there, secure the rope and bring it down here for us to climb."

"I'll get right on that!" IF grinned, putting the rope safely away, and began climbing up the rockface, using her katars now and then to try and wedge some holes to grip onto.

Despite the height not being too much, it was still rather tense for a few as IF made it up. Eventually, though, IF made it up top with no trouble, and she went to secure the rope around a nearby large embedded rock, making sure to tie it into many proper knots.

IF eventually tossed the loose end of the rope down, giving it a tug to make sure it was secure, "Okay! You're all good to go!"

"Tommy, you go first, okay?" Neptune said politely, not wishing to fully explain why, as she held down the hem of her dress.

Thomas was initially puzzled, but soon shrugged it off and grasped the rope to climb. Oddly enough, Thomas was making the climb look a bit easy, as he scaled the rockface quickly, reaching the top and getting up with little hassle.

Even IF had been stunned by what she just witnessed, "How the hell did you get up here so quickly?"

Thomas winced, "I don't know, honestly. One of the few things I am naturally good at, I guess?" He cleared his throat and yelled down, "It should be alright for all of you. Just take your time getting up."

Compa was the first to go up, behind the other human in the group, followed by Nepgear, Neptune, Plutia, and finally Uzume. Uzume made sure to be last so that Plutia wouldn't 'take her time' being the last in the group. It didn't mean she wasn't stalled, though, as Plutia walked up the rockface with about as much speed as she normally walked... which was incredibly slow.

Still, with the two Planeptune sisters helping Compa up, Plutia managed to walk her way up and over, meeting with her friends at the top. Uzume, who had been a bit frustrated of late, was relieved to be able to climb the rest of the way up. As she did, however, she got a bit too aggressive in the rush upwards, and just as she reached the top, her foot slipped on the edge. Uzume's eyes widened as she was just about to fall back down, even as she kept grip on the rope.

Thomas was quick enough to pull on one of Uzume's arms, desperately trying to keep her from stumbling further, "Hold on! Just a little more!" He barely managed to keep Uzume balanced, when Plutia walked back and gave the rope a pull, yanking both of them over safely, although they did end up falling over.

"Oops!" Plutia said apologetically, "I don't know my own strength sometimes. Are you two okay?"

Thomas slowly sat back up, "Thanks, Plutia. I'm doing alright. Uzume?"

"Y-yeah," Uzume winced as she was getting back to her feet, "That was stupid of me to rush there."

Thomas rubbed his back as he got up, and started walking over to the rest of the group, "Don't worry about it. Let's just get going."

Plutia blinked, holding the rope, "Should we bring the rope with us?"

"No, just put it back," Thomas glanced back, "It's meant for other people to climb in the future."

Plutia nodded, then threw the rope down... the whole rope, as she untied it and threw it over the cliff. Both Uzume and Thomas sweatdropped, but continued on. So much for people being able to climb in the future. On the plus side, at least Plutia didn't somehow throw the embedded rock with it.

The party could see more of the mountains ahead, but now they could see several log cabins spread out through the lands. Nepgear was the first to point them out, "So some people actually come all the way out here?"

"Yes," Thomas said, clearing his throat, "Uh, I've been here a couple of times, usually on the way to Lowee or back. It's a little getaway for a while, but I've seen travelers on occasion here."

"Tell me," Compa said as she pointed to something in the distance, "Do people leave the fire on when they leave?"

"Hmm?" Thomas squinted and looked to where Compa was pointing, "No. Looks like someone's occupying that cabin." There was smoke coming from the small chimney where the cabin was, which meant the fireplace was definitely in use.

"You think we should drop in to say hello?" Uzume asked, unsure of what to make of it.

"Nothing stopping us from being a little neighborly!" Neptune said with a small bounce, "Come on, let's go say hi!"

Was it a wise idea to go check out this cabin? What will greet them there? Will there be monsters waiting? Will Uzume not be teased during one chapter? Who will win the money pool? Has the plot gone nowhere? Find out some of the answers in the next part! Maybe!


	13. ACT II: Dreaming Of A Lowee

A bird could be seen above the Touge Mountains, flying past the smoke rising from a log cabin. Our heroes have made their way here, wondering just who could be out here in the middle of nowhere.

"So, should we knock on the door or call out?" IF asked, "We don't want to startle anyone if they're in there."

Compa kept surveying the area, and shook her head, "I don't see anyone else nearby. Whoever's occupying the cabin should be inside."

Neptune tried to peer in one of the windows, as Nepgear went to the door.

"I can be the one to make the greeting. I'm sure they wouldn't mind talking to me," Nepgear said cheerily, looking forward to meeting whoever's in. She smiled and looked to see the door was still open, but only by a tiny crack, "Huh? The door's open?"

She slowly turned her head to the crack in the door, slowly trying to get a peek, but before she could open her mouth to speak, Neptune rushed in to hold Nepgear's mouth shut, whispering, "Don't do it! You'll wake up the demon!"

"Now what, Nep?" IF was irritated by Neptune's actions. Neptune, for her part, shook her head repeatedly, pointing everyone to the window.

The group peeked in through the window, somehow managing to fit all their faces to see. They checked the little cabin to see the fireplace in use, with a small flame still burning. Further down, they could see a bed, with a small person clearly sleeping under the sheets. Hung by the bed, however, gave everyone a clue, as they could see a familiar white cap and jacket.

"Hey! It's Blan-" Neptune shushed Plutia before she could say anything further, as the group moved from the window.

"This is one sleeping beauty I am not waking up," Neptune whispered, "After what has happened all this time, I don't think Lady White Heart will be in a good mood."

IF sputtered, but also kept quiet, "So what? We can just go in and-"

"I am **not** going in there! Look, let's just have one person go in and wake her," Neptune warned, "You'll see just how much of a cranky person she can be!"

"Are you suggesting we draw straws or something?" Uzume blinked, unsure if Neptune is really truthful about Blanc here, but went along anyway because, well, she's had enough of being picked on last chapter.

Neptune grinned, "Luckily, I keep a bunch for just such an emergency!" She pulls out a bunch of plastic straws in one hand from her inventory, "Ta-daaaaaaa!"

Plutia looked excited, "Oooh, I wanna play straws!"

IF shook her head, "Whatever. Let's just do this, if it'll make Nep stop freaking out."

* * *

"I'm going to get killed, aren't I?"

In a not-so-surprising turn of events, it appeared that Thomas drew the short straw from the pile to go in and check on Blanc.

"That's not going to happen," IF said, "Nep's overreacting anyway."

"Then why won't any of you go instead?" Thomas complained.

"You're not gonna break the rules of the game, are you?" Neptune pointed out, "And I wasn't even cheating or anything! Not that I would, but **someone** wanted to make sure I wasn't!"

IF just glared at Neptune for a bit, before sighing, "Don't worry, Thomas. We'll still be nearby. Relax, it's not going to be an issue."

"Sure, this will go swimmingly," Thomas sarcastically remarked, "Some guy walks into an unlocked cabin in the middle of a remote location to check on a sleeping young lady. That's not raising any alarms whatsoever!"

"Just go in, make a little noise, and politely wake her up," IF noted, "You don't have to get close. Besides, we'll be watching, so if you somehow do something untoward, we'll make sure you'll regret it."

"Great, now my odds of living are even smaller," Thomas gulped, "Do I really have to?"

"Be brave, young Thomas!" Neptune closed her eyes and clenched at her chest, "I will not forget your efforts today!"

"And I thought **I** was the coward in the group," Thomas winced, but unfortunately, no one else was jumping in. He was stuck in this odd, weird scenario. And, now, he had to go in there. Well, get to it, Thomas, the story's not going anywhere until you do.

Ignoring the narrator, Thomas slowly opened the door, "H-h-hello?" Thomas spoke a little louder, but he was very nervous going in. He tapped on the door a few times to make a knocking sound, "A-anyone in?"

Thomas could only hear the sounds of the outdoor wind, and the faint sound of someone sleeping. Thomas looked to the window where the CPUs were watching, with Neptune shrugging. IF and Compa went away from the window, sitting down on some rocks for some iced tea. Hmm, it looked like Blanc's a little bit of a heavy sleeper. That or Thomas is too scared to be even louder.

Thomas inched closer to the bed, though he was hesitant with each step he took. The floor seemed pretty sturdy as he took a few steps. He then heard the floor make a creaking sound under his last step, and he froze, turning pale as there was a stir under the covers. Yet again, however, nothing happened beyond that.

"This is insane," Thomas groaned, then realized his mistake as he heard another stir of the bed, freezing up. This time, though, he could hear the faint voice of a woman starting to wake.

"Crap," he muttered under his breath, as the girl only managed to lift the sheets off of her face. The brunette could barely move her head, as she groggily looked over to the fireplace.

"Hmmh?" The woman was still groggy, as she tried to sit herself up, but she stopped before she could even get her head up, and flopped back down, "Oh... this sucks."

Thomas was still terrified, but seeing the girl looking to be in some amount of pain, took a small step forward, saying quietly, "H-h-hello? D-d-do you need assistance?"

"Hnngh? W-wha?" The woman, still groggy, now managed to put more effort into sitting up, startling both Thomas and the CPUs in the window. Thomas coiled back with his hands out, while the CPUs ducked their heads down to avoid being seen.

Thankfully for the T rating, the woman was wearing her dress to bed. She yawned, then slowly rubbed her eyes, speaking groggily, "S-s-someone there?"

Before Thomas could say anything, the brunette squinted weakly over in his direction, "Hmm? Tom? W-w-what are you doing here?"

"L-lady Blanc? I could be asking you the same," Thomas finally spoke, surprised that this was the response he got, "Are you alright?"

The CPU from Lowee shook her head, trying to shake whatever cobwebs she had, "I don't feel so great, but, for some reason, I'm feeling a little better. I was feeling very weak for quite a while."

Thomas glanced away to think for a moment, "Weak?" The best theory he could think of was that Blanc had very little, if any, access to Share Energy after the firewall dropped here. Regardless, he looked back to Blanc, "D-do you need anything? I have some recovery items in my inventory. Are you in need of healing?"

Blanc again rubbed her eyes, "I'm a little sore, but I should be fine now. I don't really need anything..."

Thomas had to shake his head this time, as he sat on the other side of the bed, keeping some distance so not to startle her. He looked into his inventory, "I can't take that as an answer. You need at least something after whatever happened to you. Hold on."

Blanc glanced away, looking to the fireplace, even as the CPUs were now back to peering into the window, "No, you don't really have t-"

"Here!" Thomas exclaimed, holding out a food item for Blanc out of his inventory, "Please, it is the least I could offer."

"A tangerine?" Blanc seemed surprised by this offer.

"Bought some over in Planeptune. I got more, don't worry," Thomas continued to hold his offer, "Go on."

"A-alright, sure," Blanc slid her feet to one side of the bed, as she slowly took the tangerine from Thomas' hand.

Thomas slid his feet over, as the two sat on the same side of the bed, though they still kept their distance. This seating arrangement, however, was difficult for the CPUs to see, as the two had their backs turned.

"Anyone know what they're talking about?" Neptune whispered.

"No," Uzume said, "I can't even read their lips to figure out."

Plutia, who seemed to be watching just for funsies, grinned, "You should go in and ask, Neppy!"

"Nope! Not gonna happen!" Neptune made her denial clear, "We'll just have to wait and see what goes on next."

"I feel rather ridiculous doing this," Nepgear muttered.

Blanc was slowly nibbling the tangerine, both her and Thomas looking ahead from their seats. After a long pause in eating, Thomas asked, "Feeling a little better?"

"Just," Blanc stated simply.

Thomas glanced around the cabin, "What happened? I'm sure you weren't just here for some rest."

"Hardly," Blanc again stated simply, as she went to eat a little more of the tangerine.

Thomas took a deep breath to try and relax himself, letting Blanc have a moment to get her bearings.

Finally, Blanc spoke again, "When that hole in the sky occurred, I changed and headed towards it. I told Rom and Ram to stay back in Lowee to keep an eye on things while I investigated. I flew up, noticing a couple of other CPUs heading there too, though they were far away from me."

Thomas slowly nodded, concluding that she was the CPU Nepgear mentioned she barely spotted in her story. Blanc continued, "The hole closed up, and I tried as best I could to dodge the electric bolts. It didn't work. I was hit on one of my wings, and I went down. Next thing I knew, I was in this area, surrounded by this weird barrier."

Blanc dipped her head down, "I couldn't do anything, though. I couldn't transform, and I couldn't feel any shares. I was getting weak... so I came here to start a fire to keep warm, hoping maybe some rest would help. I... I wasn't sure what would happen. Then you showed up."

"That's the story, huh?" Thomas said at the end of that, and Blanc nodded, going back to eating the tangerine.

"The important thing is you're a little better now," Thomas paused, before asking, "Can you feel some shares now?"

Blanc nodded, finishing up the tangerine, and Thomas phewed, "Good. I'll be heading outside for a bit. When you're feeling you're ready to head out, I'll be waiting."

He stood up from his seat, feeling a great sense of relief, both for Blanc, and for himself. He might be able to make it, after all! All he had to do was wait outside with the other CPUs, and no one would be the wiser! Thomas felt a sense of accomplishment, "I'll go now and ta-"

He immediately tensed up, as he was met with something he, nor the other CPUs, expected to be met with. In any other scenario, this might've been something he didn't mind.

Thomas felt the small, delicate arms of the CPU wrapping around his waist, before clasping around and bringing him in for a hug. Wait, was this Blanc hugging him? Of all people? Even in his deepening worry, he had to ask himself this question.

Natually, the other CPUs were shocked by this development. Over the time, however, all the CPUs, save for Neptune, slid away from the window. Neptune was in a state of both shock and bemusement. She didn't know **what** she would be doing in this situation.

"L-l-lady Blanc!" Thomas whispered, "What are you doing?"

"I am glad to see that there is at least someone in this region," Blanc sighed, "It was so strange to be so isolated from everyone. I was not sure if I was truly alone."

Thomas' cheeks turned red, "B-blanc, maybe now is not-"

"Being cut off from everything too," She continued, "your friends, your sisters, the people who hold their faith in you. I was feeling my life just linger on, not being able to do anything... but..."

"Blanc!" Thomas panicked, raising his voice a little more, "Now is not a good time. There are other people wa-... ah crap."

Thomas bit his tongue, as Blanc's eyes widened, "Other... people?"

Thomas closed his eyes, preparing himself. It was at that moment, he knew... he was just **that** close. **That** close to winning this. The worst part was.. he was enjoying the hug, but he knew it wouldn't last. He was done. Finished.

Blanc could see it now... the purple hair, that stupid grin, that stupid face and that stupid CPU looking at her, er, stupidly! What was her problem, anyway? Doesn't Neptune know she was just hugging...

Just... hugging...

 **"DAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

From the outside, IF and Compa, now joined by Nepgear, Uzume, and Plutia, were quietly sipping some iced tea, before there was a large sound emanating from the cabin. Sure enough, flying out of the cabin, and landing a couple of feet away before crashing into a nearby rock, was Thomas, who was pretty out of it by this point.

 **"Neptune! You bastard! How long were you watching all that?"**

The embarassed CPU, turning on her rage, slammed the cabin door open and stomped out to face Neptune, who still looked at her with that 'stupid' face.

Blanc just got more angry, with her hammer already out, yelled out, **"Damnit with that stupid face! Just say something already!"**

Neptune slowly resumed a more normal face, but was still grinning, "Tangerine, tangerine, living reflection from a dream! I was her love, she was my queen-"

 **"Shut up and die!"** Blanc cut off Neptune's dated reference, and so the chase began, with Blanc chasing a laughing Neptune around the cabin, causing mayhem and destruction in its wake! Nepgear and Uzume just sighed heavily, as Compa went over to check on Thomas.

"Shall I ask what set her off this time?" IF asked of the two CPUs.

"No, better not. I don't know if I can describe what it was," Uzume said.

Plutia giggled, holding her hands together, "It was cute."

"Uhh, forget I asked, then," IF said, not sure if she wanted to know the details after that.

Nepgear looked worriedly, "Should we do something before Blanc tires herself out chasing Neptune? Or somehow catches up to her?"

IF sighed, "Alright, Plutia, you and me, let's stop those two before they destroy the region."

Plutia beamed, "O-kay!" While she was planning to, eventually, step in herself to stop the two, going with IF would make things a little easier, at least for Blanc and Neptune's sake.

Compa checked on Thomas' vital signs, "Well, he's still alive, at least!"

"Yayyyyyyyyy... the new armor worked! Yay..." Thomas could be heard mildly cheering as his face was busy eating rocks.

* * *

Some time later, after Thomas was healed of his wounds, Blanc and Neptune were brought back to meet with the rest of the party. Blanc was visibly quite shaken and angry, while Neptune was simply whistling some music, probably even off-key just to irritate Blanc some more.

IF glared at Neptune, "Quit it, Nep."

Neptune stopped, but was still being rather amused about the whole thing.

Blanc, still angry, seethed but tried to ask politely given the company, "Please promise me you will not tell anyone. Especially Vert! She'd never shut up about it if she heard anything about... just promise, okay?"

Neptune heys, "I wasn't the only one that saw! Come on, you guys, come clean!"

Compa blinked, "Me and Iffy were outside having iced tea the entire time."

Uzume cut in, "I didn't see anything, did you Gearsy?"

Nepgear's eyes widened, as she joined in on the lie, "Oh, no, I didn't see anything either!"

Neptune sighed, "Yeah, sure, I won't tell anyone either."

After an odd pause, Plutia said, rather politely, "I make no promises."

Blanc blinked at Plutia, but she knew that it would be kind of pointless to try and argue with her. She may not know much about Plutia like her Ultradimension counterpart, but she knew of her and her sadistic tendencies.

Neptune sighed, "Alright, alright, cross my heart and all that. I won't tell anyone. Besides, shouldn't you be more concerned about something else?"

"Huh?" Blanc blinked, before her eyes widened, "Oh crap!" She scrambled to check on Thomas, who despite being healed, was still feeling sore, "I, I overreacted! A-a-are you alright, Tom? I... I'm sorry..." She didn't want to make any more of a scene, and straightened her posture, trying to get some composure, "I was not feeling too well at the time. That must have been it."

Thomas raised his hand a little, still resting, saying, "I understand... I'm glad to somehow be alive anyway. Oof. I think?" He could still feel the pain from earlier. Even a normal hit from an enemy could go away after a while. Blanc's hammer? Not the same intensity, obviously.

"Give him some time to recover," Compa said, "He'll be back to complaining about having to fight later." She smiled to Blanc.

Thomas grumbled incoherently, as IF talked to Blanc, "Anyway, Blanc, you just told us a little about how you somehow got here. How are you feeling now?"

"I am faring better now that I somehow have access to shares again," Blanc said, "Although I do wonder why all of you have come this far, or why I can feel shares now..."

Uzume pumped a fist, "We have a means to break the barriers of this firewall, Blancsy!" She kept going after the odd nickname, "We were on our way to Lowee when we saw smoke coming from the chimney there."

"Oh, I'm glad the fireplace was still going," Blanc noted, "Had I not lit the fireplace, perhaps you may have even missed me."

Nepgear added, "We might not have even gone this way, had it not been for Thomas mentioning this area on the way."

"And my need for rest!" Plutia interjected, as though she should also get some credit for the idea to come over here.

"Well, regardless, I am relieved to see you all here," Blanc paused, "I take it, you wish me to join you on the way to Lowee?"

"The plan was to help you and the other CPUs," Nepgear answered, "Please, it would mean much to us if you helped us take down this firewall."

"You need not have to ask," Blanc nodded, "If this is to get back my Lowee, my sisters, and to stick it to whoever's messing with this world, of course I would join."

"Alright, so a new member joins the ranks!" Neptune cheered, "Let's keep on going to save Lowee!"

"Ah, Neppy?" Plutia blinked, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Neptune stopped, then thought about it, as Plutia yawned.

IF sighed, "I'm sorry, Lady Blanc, but some of us still need a bit of rest. Can you wait just a little more while we rest up here?"

"I don't mind," Blanc said politely, "I still need to get my bearings after being out for so long."

Compa smiled, "Lucky for us, I brought enough sleeping bags for us to use!"

Blanc had something in mind, as she spoke up, "Hold on. Um, Tom? If you want, you can use the cabin to rest. I'll stay outside here. It's the least that I could offer after, uh, what happened."

Thomas nodded slowly, "S-sure, thanks."

Blanc stretched, "I'll probably stay up and keep an eye for any monsters while you all take a breather. How long you planning on resting?"

"Not too long," Compa said, "Just need to rest our feet for a while."

"I just wanna nap for a bit," Plutia said as she already started to doze off, flopping onto the ground.

"I guess she won't need a sleeping bag," Uzume blinked as Plutia was already in a deep sleep.

"I think we can rest a little longer, then," IF stated, "If that's alright with you, Lady Blanc."

Blanc sighed, "I guess I have little choice to objecting. I'll wait just a little longer. You all rest up until, oh, say, the night's over?" The sky was already starting to turn a little dark.

"That was oddly convenient," Nepgear stated the obvious.

* * *

Later that night, the sleeping bags came out, and everyone save for Plutia was all nestled around a campfire that Blanc was tending to as they all went to sleep. There was a little light in the cabin, as Thomas was sleeping inside. Blanc tossed in another bit of firewood as she watched the crackling fire, twirling her rather large hammer in one place to alleviate some boredom.

During the time in between the jump cut, Blanc had been told the gist of the party's mission, what the firewall was, and what they've learned so far. Blanc was already sick and tired of these outside forces messing with Gamindustri, and subsequently Lowee, so naturally she was seething on the inside. That part of her that would lash out in an instant, spewing profanities and go on a rampage, wanted to get this over with, so she could vent out at the appropriate target. That way, she won't mess things up and screw over the party, or hit Thomas into a rock again.

She glanced over at the cabin in thought about the man, before looking back to the fireplace, twirling the hammer, "I have got to keep myself calm and focused. I can't let my anger get the best of me again. I will channel my rage at the appropriate time. Please, Rom, Ram, wait for me. I'll get those bastards responsible." She held her hammer, visibly shaking in fury.

Will she be able to keep her rage in check? Um, this is Blanc, so I don't think that's a good possibility!

"Can it, narrator. I may not be like Neptune with that meta crap, but I can still hear you, jackass," Blanc said through her teeth. Okay, point taken.


	14. ACT II: Endurance Or Stress Test

**("Hmm, this chapter is smaller than the more recent ones. Honestly, my initial enthusiasm over writing this whole story has faded as I get into the next Act. Still, hope you enjoy any little scraps I will toss in between now and whenever I get more enthusiastic... hopefully sooner! Anyway, feedback, as always, is appreciated." - The author of this cancer on society.)**

* * *

"Neptune, what are you doing **now?"** Blanc, the new member of the party, could not understand what Neptune was doing, as Nep was walking against a steep incline in a rock formation nearby.

"Just trying to take a shortcut by climbing this steep incline," Neptune said matter-of-factly, "There's got to be some way I can jump up and get on the other side without having to go all the way around this mountain."

"Just take the damn mountain path like a normal person!" Blanc shook her fist at the Planeptune CPU.

"Normal? Pfft, that is so not my style," Neptune said as she kept jumping up the incline, "See, if I just go right through here, I can skim several minutes off my time! I'll discover pro strats worthy of the next great speed run!"

"No one's speed running this, you annoying little bitch," Blanc spat out, "And you've been doing that for over a minute now!"

"We... haven't even started moving and already those two are it," Nepgear said to Uzume as the group had barely moved past the cabin.

"This is the part where we say that they are truly great friends, right?" Uzume said while scratching her head.

"I really don't know for sure, eheh," Nepgear replied, before turning to join the others.

Neptune would eventually give up and return to join with the rest of the party, as Blanc looked rather more irritated than usual.

Being the ever-enduring tank of the group, Blanc took to the front row, ready to take the enemies head-on. For Thomas, this was something he was not used to seeing, as up until now, he had mainly seen the Planeptunian goddesses fight. Blanc, despite her attempts at being stoic and reserved, was not quite so in battle. She wasn't flat-out sadistic like another CPU in the group, but she certainly wasn't holding back whenever the hammer came out. This came as a bit of a relief, considering how Thomas felt after taking a shot to the noggin.

Thinking back on the moment, Thomas winced and held up his head, feeling a bit of a headache. Although he was certainly healed from that shot from Blanc, he hasn't been feeling great of late. Ever since he started the adventure, with the exception of perhaps that one time in Planeptune after that massive boss fight, he hasn't had a good enough sleep. It's not that he hasn't slept at all or anything, it's just that he's been feeling rather off any time he woke, as though it wasn't enough. Perhaps, he thought, it was just the stress from the adventure still getting to him. No matter the case, he would have to just keep going.

In an attempt to take his mind off his own issue, he pondered about the new party member having to endure quite a bit of damage. Blanc, being the tank of the group, wasn't afraid of a few scraps. However, for Thomas, this was a bit much to see her taking quite a punishment, even though she'd be fine afterwards. He decided to check to see if she was alright.

"Uh, Lady Blanc?" Thomas said as he moved closer to the front row so he could speak with her as they walked.

Blanc, who was still in a rather foul mood, snapped her head back to meet with whoever addressed her, "What?" This caused Thomas to jump a little back, and Uzume, who was nearby, to glare at her. Blanc, seeing the reactions of the two, quickly softened her expression, "Er, my apologies. You wanted something, Tom?"

Thomas was again rather hesitant, as he slowly spoke up, "Er, uh, yes. I, uh, just wanted to check how you were faring, so far."

Blanc quirked an eyebrow, then looked away as she kept going, "I'm fine. Is that all you wish to know?"

"Stubborn one, isn't she?" Uzume crossed her arms, and muttered to herself, as Thomas moved ahead to try and catch up beside the Lowee CPU.

"Are you sure about that?" Thomas asked Blanc as he tried to keep the conversation between the two.

"Of course," Blanc stated, "I've dealt with monsters and the like before, you know. A few scratches isn't going to matter."

"Still," Thomas said, "Do you really need to take that much? It's... rather difficult to see-"

Blanc interrupted, her eyes glancing to her side at Thomas, "If you feel a little queasy watching this, you should just pack up now and head back home. Honestly, I'm not even sure why you're following us."

"That's a question I'm still trying to figure out," Thomas muttered.

Blanc picked up on that, and said, "Well, you don't have to worry that much. This is what I do when I fight, when I endure. As Lowee's goddess, I'll do anything I can to save Lowee. Not that some bureaucrat would know anything about what that entails."

Thomas cringed, muttering softly, "Perhaps so..."

Blanc blinked a bit as she waited on Thomas to say something, but looking back, she could see he was rather downcast. She frowned, biting her tongue for a second, then saying, "If it matters that much to you, however, I'll try and do a bit more dodging in the future. Will that suffice?"

Thomas murmured, "It would mean a lot to me, yes."

Blanc winced, "Seriously, you don't have to be so down about it. I-It's what I do to protect you. A-and the others too! S-so quit acting like a sad puppy!"

Thomas noticed he was acting down of late, and laughed nervously, "Eheh, sorry. I'll try not to bring the mood down."

"Good!" Blanc said, calming down, "Now we both have something to strive for. It's always a good idea to set some goals for yourself. So, is that all?"

"I... was just checking up on you," Thomas said, "But I guess I'll have to head back to the back row."

"You can stay up here with me, at least until we come across the next fight," Blanc offered, "Just remember to stay behind me when there is a fight. You can trust me to keep you all safe."

"You sure you don't mind me being around?" Thomas asked, puzzled.

"Of course I don't," Blanc muttered, before regaining some composure, "I mean, I don't mind. Just don't do anything crazy or this hammer will greet you again."

Thomas grimaced, being reminded of his headache again, "I'd rather not think about that."

"Then we're in agreement," Blanc stated, and a tiny smile formed on her face, though it was hard for her to even accomplish this.

"W-welcome to the team, Lady Blanc," Thomas muttered.

"Y-yeah. Th-thanks," Blanc said as the two finished their conversation, still walking with the others.

* * *

"Huh, this place looks a bit familiar, but it's missing something," Neptune remarked as they came across a clearing in the midst of the mountain range.

"I'm going to guess you mean that giant airship," IF said simply.

"Ah, that's what it was!" Neptune exclaimed, then said lightly, "I knew by the lack of a dungeon area that something was off."

Nepgear was the first to dash ahead into the clearing, apparently looking around for anything mechanical left behind. Meanwhile, IF looked around, "It wasn't that long ago when we were fighting AffimaX here."

"Haffy-macs?" Plutia asked quizzically, "What a weird name."

"I guess they finally managed to get rid of the crashed airship here," IF said, somewhat surprised, "I didn't think they had enough money or manpower to clean up."

"They didn't," Thomas interjected, "They certainly had help in that department."

"Huh?" Neptune look surprised at Thomas, "You know something about this, Tommy?"

"Yeah, you can say that," Thomas said while rubbing the back of his neck, "It was part of a business deal some on the Azure Coast had with them. In return for some compensation, the Coast would retrieve this airship and look into further designs that had been purchased by the group. There was a bit of financial wrangling between the various parties, including the designer of the airships, but a deal was tentatively reached."

Uzume pondered a second, and then widened her eyes at Thomas, "Was that AffimaX's airship you were on? Before the firewall came down, I mean? The one you fell from?"

"Fell from?" Blanc looked rather puzzled, as she didn't learn about Thomas' start to this adventure.

"Now that you mention it, Nep Junior said something about an airship going down at the time," Neptune said, as Nepgear was far in the clearing looking for anything shiny to nab. She would look under any rock she could find.

Thomas nodded, "Yeah... I was part of the negotiation. The only interest I had was the airship itself. Gamindustri barely has much in the way of transit. I mean, we are still walking on foot. Vehicles are still not as common despite the growth in technology. I figured, maybe if we can get an airship, we can use it as a stepping stone for, eventually, more affordable air travel." He shrugged, "It was an idea."

"If that ship was hit badly, it must've crashed somewhere," IF deduced, "But we haven't seen it at all during our time in Planeptune."

"Maybe it's in one of the other nations?" Compa asked, "It was hit before the firewall dropped, so it could be anywhere."

"I'm sure it won't be too hard to find," Blanc said dryly, "A giant airship is not exactly going to be easy to hide."

"Mayyyyyybe it has a cloaking device!" Neptune concluded, "Like on those space shows I see on television! Which means we have to be careful not to accidentally run into it!"

"I don't think cloaking technology was ever on the table... or in the airship," Thomas shook his head.

"Maybe it was something they wanted to keep to themselves," Uzume brought a fist up, "Remember that AffimaX likes to be all sneaky, and one of them is a robot ninja! Clearly, they would totally use the cloaking technology to do all sorts of sneaky ninja things! Like planning a secret assassination, or maybe pervy stuff like peeking in on Vert having a massage or something!"

"While I find that reasoning actually plausible," Thomas admitted, "I still think you are being rather silly."

"I-It can totally happen, you know?" Uzume closed her eyes, "We gotta find the ship before they do something, like, totally gross with it!" She shivered as her daydreaming mind rushed to all sorts of naughty scenarios.

"Uzume's imagination aside," IF coughed a bit as she looked over at Nepgear's little search, who was trying to dig with her hands, "Let's just keep an eye out in case we do find out what happened with the ship. Hopefully, no one was hurt." She yelled over at the digging CPU, "Nepgear, what the hell are you doing?"

"Treasure hunting!" Nepgear yelled in a cheery tone as she pulled out some metallic... er, doohickey. Seriously, it might as well be some scrap metal. But hey, Nepgear is happy. That's what matters, right?

"I think Nepgear might be a little obsessed," Thomas grumbled.

"You don't say?" IF groaned in agreement.

"Everyone has their hobbies," Compa said, defending Ge-Ge's treasure hunting.

* * *

The party finally reached the end of the Touge Mountains, where they could get into new territory. However, before that, they would have to deal with yet another barrier.

Nepgear, who finally stopped being giddy over scrap metal, looked around, expecting something to show up. Instead, she grimaced, "Seems odd that all we've faced so far are monsters."

IF paused, "If Histoire was correct about her assessment, we shouldn't be encountering much resistance in the north. Stlll, it's a little strange that those robots we faced back in Planeptune haven't shown up yet."

Uzume tapped one of her feet, "Well, robots? I'm waiting." After a beat or two of her tapping her foot, she sighed, "I'm sure we'll encounter those jerks the closer we get to Lowee."

"Okay, we gotta keep an eye out for an airship as well as hostile robots," Neptune noted, "Oh! And keep an eye out for Rom and Ram too! Maybe we should have a checklist."

Thomas took a deep breath, then, reaching into his inventory, took out the tome and handed it to Blanc, with the page open to the instructions, "Here. I'm sure you'll somehow be able to read this. It's to get rid of this barrier."

"Oh?" Blanc reached and gently held onto the tome as she read through the page rather quickly, "I see. Are you saying I should do the honors?"

"Well, it's just so you have an idea of how to do it in the future," Thomas noted, "No telling how many barriers are there between here and Lowee proper."

Neptune peered over Blanc's shoulder, grinning, "Sooooo, can you read everything in there? Especially the scribbles?"

"Yes, Neptune, I can read the scribbles," Blanc rolled her eyes, "Although I do not understand why it's like your writing here."

"We're having a pool party!" Plutia exclaimed happily.

"No, Plutie, it's a betting pool," Neptune corrected her.

"Aww, I was getting excited about swimming over nothing," Plutia pouted.

Uzume threw in her pitch on the pool, "We're taking 100 credit bets on why the tome was written that way. You can participate, if you want!"

"The current leading bet is time-travel involving me," Neptune boasted, "I don't know how I will soon do it!"

"Alright, I'll put my bet in, I don't mind taking a guess," Blanc said, as Thomas closed his eyes and murmured incomprehensibly.

"I knew you had faith in my abilities!" Neptune cheered, "Looks like we go another vote for yours truly!"

"I didn't say I was voting for you," Blanc objected, looking cross at her, "This tome couldn't have been written by someone who gets so easily distracted."

"Whaaat? I can write a simple tome!" Neptune complained.

Blanc shook her head, "No, if there's anyone who'll even use your style of writing in an important tome like this, I can only think of one person."

Uzume blinked, "So, who do you think it would be?"

"Nepgear, of course," Blanc stated.

Nepgear was rather stunned by this guess, "M-m-me?"

"Why not?" Blanc shrugged, "You appear far more reliable than your sister, and I would imagine writing a tome would not take up too much of your time. Plus, I would not be surprised that you would write in something resembling your sister's scribbling."

Uzume tilted her head, "So, is that a bet on a time-travelling Nepgear?"

"Yes," Blanc so simply answered.

"Bah, I'll show you I can write a tome in the future!" Neptune continued on, "Er, I mean, a tome in the past! Or in the future only to be sent to the past so that you'll see this in the future!"

"Sure, Neptune," Blanc gave the tome back to Thomas, "Go ahead and prove me wrong. It doesn't matter to me. What matters if we get rid of this barrier **now."**

"You'll see! I'll show you! I'll show all of you!" Neptune said before doing a goofy, "Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"... Right," Blanc muttered before she got into position to remove the barrier.

* * *

It didn't take too long for Blanc to transform into White Heart, and brought down the barrier with the help of the Planeptune CPUs. Blanc was clearly pleased with bringing down the barrier, and was just thinking about her plans for retribution. Before she could say something about the subject, her eyes saw something in the distance, and she immediately flew ahead to meet with it.

"W-where is she going?" Thomas was confused, and gave some chase, "We've gotta catch up with her!"

Thankfully, Blanc did not go too far. She was back in human form, further down the path, just outside the mountains and into the more open Atari Marsh. She knelt down next to a strange-looking person, who was wearing a literal mushroom cap on her head.

"Are you alright?" Blanc asked the woman, "Do you need anything?"

The woman shook her head, "It is not me that needs help, Lady White Heart. Please, can you save them?"

The rest of the party eventually caught up with Blanc, with Thomas catching his breath. Blanc asked the mushroom woman, "Tell me what's happened. I promise I will do what I can as Lowee's CPU."

The woman nodded, "It's those two guys. You know, the ones always trying to rescue the princess. Or play sports, I can never be sure with those two. I think they got lost, however, and what's worse, I think they're being chased by some crazed turtle creatures!"

"Do you know where they are now? Is it even possible to reach them?" Blanc asked, as the others quietly watched the conversation.

"Yes," the woman nodded, "The sky falling confined the three of us around these marshes. I'm sure you can find them further if you look around enough. If not, you may find them in the Hex Grasslands nearby. Most of it is blocked off by that electric wall, but those two may have been in that area as well. Please, you must find them!"

"Alright, I'll get right to it. Don't worry," Blanc assured her, "Me and everyone here are heading our way to Lowee, to deal with the... sky falling?" She grimaced, "We'll look for them as well."

"Another thing to add to the checklist," Neptune remarked as an aside. Plutia held up a finger to shush Neptune.

Blanc ignored Neptune and told the mushroom woman, "Is there anywhere nearby where you can be safe?"

The woman nodded, and pointed to the south, "There's a small camp over there that I can stay at for a while."

"Alright," Blanc held one of the woman's shoulders, "You head over there and set up camp. If we come across your friends, we'll bring them over that way."

IF took out a cellphone, and tried to get it to work, calling the Planeptune Guild. She waited a moment before she heard a response, and said, "Yeah, IF here. I got something for the Guild can help with as we're heading to Lowee..." She nodded to Compa, who went over to whisper to Blanc.

"Hmm?" Blanc listened in, before looking to the mushroom woman, "We're getting someone from the Guild in Planeptune to meet with you at the camp, if you're willing to point out exactly where it is for her." She pointed to IF for the lady, who nodded. "They will offer assistance until this crisis is over."

"Yes, I shall do what I can to help," the woman smiled weakly, "Thank you again, Lady White Heart."

Blanc returned the smile, though it was hard for her to do so, as she always struggled to break out of her stoic expression, save for when she was enraged. She nodded, and let the woman head off to give IF, and the Guild, directions and where the camp would be.

"So, who are we looking for?" Thomas asked.

"We're going to help, riiiight?" Plutia also added.

"Of course we're helping," Blanc stated, "It's important for a CPU to help wherever she can. As for the people we're searching for, they're... carpenters? Plumbers? I'm not certain, but the two are pretty easy to point out. They're two brothers, who wear overalls and have bushy mustaches."

"Those two sound awfully familiar," Neptune pondered.

"I believe I have seen them on occasion on Chirper," Nepgear answered, "They also have assisted in some scouting missions for the Guild."

Uzume grinned, "Alright, let's find those guys, save some people, and deal with whatever these turtles are!" She pumped her fist, "Maybe we can make some turtle soup after this is all done?"

Thomas winced, "Let's just focus on one thing at a time." He sighed, "I think Neptune's right. We do need a checklist."

"I know, right?" Neptune murmured to Thomas, "What I wouldn't give for a quest log right about now."

Looks like our heroes are tasked with a search and rescue, but will this be a simple quest? Or will they get hooked on trying to find the brothers? What about the other things they have to search for? Will there be an actual checklist? Will they still be able to save Lowee after all this? And lastly, what about those robots? Are they going to show up at all this Act? Oh whatever, I'm going out for a cup of joe. See ya next time.


	15. ACT II: Mucking Around In The Marsh

"You realize, even with the firewall blocking the way," IF noted, "We'd still have a lot of ground to cover."

Seeing the mushroom lady to her camp and returning to the group, IF noted the issues surrounding this quest to find the two brothers. It wasn't that the group would say no. Everyone was on board with doing this quest. Even the reluctant Thomas agreed that saving people was important, for it meant they would be more willing to offer their faith to the goddesses, which in turn kept them strong. Plus, well, it was the right thing to do.

Still, it was a bit of a task to get done, and they wouldn't want to waste too much time on this one quest. All of Gamindustri needed just as much help. With all that in mind, IF continued, "Any ideas on how we do this?"

There was some thinking to do, and so our heroes huddled around to think about it. "I don't like this idea, personally, but," Thomas cleared his throat, "I suggest forming some search parties to cover ground more quickly."

IF nodded, "Yeah, that was something I was thinking of. However, that means we'll have to split up. Since we're going in blind, we should still try to keep our parties large to deal with any monsters or other baddies."

"I agree," Blanc lifted her hat a bit on her head so it didn't tip too far down, "Two parties should be enough for now. We also need to be in contact with each other."

Nepgear looked at her N-Gear, and brought up her phone feature, "IF? Perhaps we should be the ones in separate groups, and contact one another when we find something."

IF smiled, "That sounds good, Nepgear! Gee, I'm finding these great uses so far for my cellphone lately. It's like it's an important tool or something!"

Thomas grimaced at IF, knowing full well that was meant to tease him. He just stood there and took it for the time being.

"Oh, are we setting up teams with team captains now?" Plutia blinked, "Because I wanna be with... uhhh?" She giggled, "Iffy or Neppy Junior? Oh, I can't decide!"

Blanc coughed, "I'll decide the teams and make it easier. Nepgear, Uzume, Tom, you're with me. IF and Compa, you can have Plutia and Neptune."

Neptune protested, "What? Who made you the team picker person? If anyone should do that, it should be me!"

Blanc tched, "I'm simple, really. You and Plutia know each other very well. You two naturally would fight well together, so pairing you up was easy. The fact that IF and Compa are not only your best friends, but have very good chemistry fighting together means they'll be best paired with you. Plutia, even though this is not the same IF and Compa that you are familiar with back home, I am sure you would know how they fight and thus would be good teaming up with them."

Blanc cleared her throat, "As for the team I am in, Uzume and Nepgear compliment each other very well, are good all-around fighters, and can handle any role given. I would be useful in any party, and while Tom is the last man out, I would say to keep the teams balanced to have me and Tom work with Uzume and Nepgear in their endeavors. Really, I think your team would be quite strong as is."

Thomas blinked, "You thought all of that in a short amount of time?"

Blanc replied with a heh, "I can be quite the strategist if need be. Unless Neptune wishes to make two other teams that would be useful?"

Plutia cheered, "I actually like the way the groups are, Neppy! Please, let's have the teams that Blanny suggested!"

Neptune sighed, "Okay, we'll have it your way, Queen Blanny. However, I suggest you guys go take the long way, heading over to Hex Grasslands! We'll stick around here and check the Atari Marsh!"

Blanc said with a nod, "That would be my next suggestion, actually. I am glad to see that you are in agreement, Neptune."

Neptune grinned, "Yep! I know it was a great idea! I can think these things through too, you know?"

IF shook her head, "I guess that sets everything up. Remember to call the other team if things get dangerous, or you found any of the brothers."

Nepgear nodded to IF, "Right! Your four be careful, okay?"

Compa smiled, "You too, Ge-Ge!"

Thomas rubbed the back of his neck as he followed with Nepgear, Uzume, and Blanc, leaving the others waving goodbye to the departing group.

* * *

 **Party switched: IF, Compa, Neptune, Plutia**

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **IF's icon appeared, stating, "The Atari Marsh is going to be a bit slow to get through."**

* * *

With the departing group gone, IF crossed her arms and sighed, "Well, everyone, let's get started. Neptune, you suggested we check here, right? Shall you lead us in the search?"

Neptune blinked, "Oh! Right! I am the leader of this group, after all!" Plutia clapped politely to her 'leader' as Neptune felt rather pressured, "Well, uh, we could, uh, you know!"

IF grimaced, "Oh hell, Nep. You have no idea, do you?"

"Nope! Not a one, sorry," Neptune admitted.

"It shouldn't matter too much," Compa assured them both, "We just go around the marsh in a big circle! I'm sure we'll find who we're looking for on the way!"

"Alright, I guess it's best we do it that way," IF then blinked as Compa checked her inventory, "Compa, what are you doing?"

"Well, I remembered that we were going to go through some wetlands, so I brought some of us," Compa pulled out, "Some boots! I don't have all your sizes, but I have plenty in inventory so we can get around without getting our feet all soggy!"

"Nice going, Compa!" Neptune said happily, "Now we can splash around in the water and make funny sounds stepping in the mud!"

Plutia smiled, "The boots are hard to get on, but I find them kinda comfy. I wouldn't wanna get my slippers all muddy anyway!"

IF said politely, "We're not going around the marshes to play in the mud. All the same, thanks, Compa. That was some good preparation for the trip."

"No problem!" Compa beamed, "Now let's get our boots on and start our search!"

The four managed, after going through a bunch of pair, to put on the boots, and began stepping through the marshes. There were still clear areas for them to go through, and for the most part, they kept on those little paths. However, there was no getting around some parts without stepping in some mucky waters, or muddy ground.

For Plutia, this was rather enjoyable. She stomped and splashed as much as she could without messing her clothes. At a quick glance, she was just acting like a kid, but she somehow managed some restraint. Neptune joined in on the fun eventually, and the two would make a few splashes here and there. IF, on the other hand, felt a headache coming on.

"They just couldn't stop themselves," IF sighed, "We should've taken Uzume and Nepgear if it was going to be like this."

"I wouldn't worry," Compa said, "We have to enjoy the trip while we can. Besides, I think it's kinda adorable."

"I don't know how you can be so positive about everything," IF paused, then chuckled, "I guess that's why I don't mind hanging around with you."

"I like being around with you too, Iffy!" Compa beamed, causing IF to fluster a little. Compa then noted, "Anyway, those two may be playing, but I'm sure they're also looking around. Besides, they'll stumble onto something eventually. Nep-Nep has that kind of luck."

"Ah, you're right," IF admitted, "I'm sure we'll have them running into trouble in no time. Let's just keep looking around while they goof off here."

It was a while before Neptune and Plutia stopped goofing around, returning to the search for the missing brothers. Because of the muddy conditions, whenever they encountered enemies like Turtles or the smaller but still annoying Sergeant Froggy, their speed would be affected. For IF, this was still not a major issue as she was light on her feet, even in boots. However, it certainly didn't help for someone slow like Plutia, who had to fight defensively until she could get a good shot. Because of this, Plutia was put in the back row with Compa, and Plutia would rely more on throwing her plushies at her enemies.

Neptune, Plutia, and Compa took a break, stopping by another pond to get a look at all the little tadpoles swimming about, as well as some of the actual non-monster wildlife that resided in this marsh. IF, meanwhile, checked her phone to see if she got any news from Nepgear, or anyone else for that matter. Seeing nothing, she set her phone aside and resumed looking, hopping onto some large deadwood to get a better survey.

IF sighed, "I bet the others are having a far more interesting time in the grasslands. Nothing here but muck and wildlife. Actually, thinking about that, that's not too bad." She hummed, and brought her attention over to something in the distance, "Hold on a moment." She squinted her eyes in the distance, then hopped down from the deadwood, and walked to the others.

IF coughed a little, "I just found something to the west of us. I think we need to take a closer look."

Neptune pondered a moment, "What could it be, Iffy? Did you find a big mommy turtle with some turtle eggs? This isn't a nature walk, Iffy!"

"Bite me, Nep," IF snapped, "You and Plutia have been doing enough nature walking for all of us. No... augh, just follow me already!"

"Aye-aye! Follow that Iffy!" Neptune exclaimed to Compa and Plutia, who more than happily followed along.

* * *

"Well, I was close, it certainly involved turtles..." Neptune blinked as the four hid from behind the tall grass for cover.

The four peeked their heads out to see a strange scene before them. In the middle of another pond, there was a tall tropical tree on an island. Tied to that tree was a rather plump man in overalls and a thick mustache. Around him were a bunch of large turtles, the monster kind, apparently celebrating as they were doing a rather silly dance.

"Is that who we are looking for?" Plutia asked IF, as she squinted at the sight.

"One of them, yes," IF answered, "It looks like they have taken Maryo captive. I guess he must've irritated them somehow."

"I hear the brothers fight turtles quite often," Compa pondered, "Probably some family feud or some deep history between the two."

"Could be, but you never know," Neptune tapped her chin, "Maybe it's one bizarre coincidence, like how often we end up fighting so many Dogoos whenever we go on an adventure. Maybe they fight turtles as a starting enemy?"

"Whatever the case," IF sighed and crossed her arms, "We're gonna have to deal with this. Anyone got any ideas how we proceed?"

Neptune offered a diplomatic solution, "We could just give them a little peace offering, trade them something in exchange for the captive. Maybe we can offer them a nice large pizza?"

"Are you serious, Nep?" IF narrowed her eyes, "Not every turtle we come across likes that stuff, first off. Secondly, even if we did, I don't think there's any pizza joints that do delivery out here."

"We could always call someone else to get a pizza for us!" Neptune smiled, "We live in a new generation, Iffy, where anybody might do something if you give them a call and promise, I dunno, an anime figurine or whatever."

"We're not getting a pizza, Nep," IF seethed, "Think up something else. Besides, I don't think after we've fought a couple of them earlier that they would be willing to chat."

"It's not like they knew it was us, right Plutia? Back me up here," Neptune turned to look but there was a noticeable lack of Plutia beside her. Cue missing Plutia outline!

"Uh, Nep-Nep? Where did your friend go?" Compa blinked, noticing a little later than the others.

The three soon heard a familiar transformation sound, and like a lightning bolt, Plutia changed into Iris Heart, flying in a dash right for the captive brother. Utilizing her sword-whip, she slashed right through the tropical tree, grabbing the confused Maryo, and flying away from the equally-confused turtles.

"That actually worked?" Neptune blinked in awe as Plutia was already heading away from the monsters, "I'll have to try that for one of my daring rescues when I get the chance."

IF blinked multiple times, before saying to the two others, "We should probably back away quietly before the monsters try looking around and finding us instead."

"A bit too late for that, Iffy," Compa eeped, "Because they're coming this way."

"Damnit," IF readied her katars, "Let's take 'em out!"

Before the three could rush in, they heard a loud scream coming from... the island? The place where the tree once was shook violently, and the other monsters bailed as instead of facing just a group of confused turtles, they know have to deal with a large enraged turtle that's missing a... tree? Don't ask me, readers, some of the turtles in the franchise have trees on top of them.

"I knew that tree looked a little bizarre," Neptune concluded, "If only I mentioned this earlier."

The large turtle gave a nice, loud roar at the trio. I mean, I don't know what losing a tree that grew on your back felt like, but I imagine he was being quite vocal about it.

"We didn't do it," Neptune protested meekly.

"I don't think it cares who it was!" IF noted rather loudly.

Another roar. I believe the turtle was expressing its agreement with IF and wished to indicate its extreme displeasure with the current situation and how it will soon vent its frustrations.

"Back again," a voice said happily as Iris Heart flew in to meet with the group, "I see you may need a little help."

"That was an amazing rescue there, Sadie!" Neptune complimented her, then winced, "Um, do you mind helping us out with this monster here? It seems pretty miffed."

"It would be, wouldn't it?" Iris Heart grinned.

"Um, where's the guy you rescued anyway?" Compa asked.

"Hmm? Oh, he's hangin' around, having a great view of the scene here," Iris Heart gestured to a Maryo being left hanging on a tree branch. Plutia made sure this tree was not attached to some other monster this time. The brother was clinging to the branch, thankfully not really hung or anything. That would not bode well.

IF blinked, "Well, uh, I guess we take care of the big guy first." With that, the four began their battle, with Neptune transforming into Purple Heart.

The battle with a giant, angry turtle started a little slow, as even though Neptune and Plutia were transformed and floating, their speed was still affected by the murky conditions. Hmm, perhaps the gameplay mechanics still need work here. Someone file a bug report!

"Will someone please shut up that narrator?" IF seethed, as she pulled out an AGI Booster Z to deal with this issue, using it immediately on the party.

The two CPUs dashed around the large turtle, scaring off the smaller mob as they slashed at the big monster. Iris Heart stepped onto one of its limbs to try and pin it down, grinding her heel while Purple Heart went to slashing it in the face with a Cross Combination. Despite its intimidating size, the turtle was not much of a match against the CPUs.

IF and Compa noticed this, and IF muttered, "Let's just finish this so we can get out of here."

Compa beamed, "Alright, let's do it, Iffy!"

The two ran to the sides of the monster, as it was reeling for the CPU attacks to notice. IF and Compa then unleashed their magic attacks simultaneously, firing off two large bolts into the small openings in the cracked shell. As the bolts crossed paths inside, the magic exploded, causing significant enough damage to bring down the monster.

Purple Heart tilted her head, "That monster wasn't too much trouble. Oh well. It's nice to get an easy win once in a while."

Iris Heart shook her head, "How unsatisfying. I was **just getting warmed up!"** She ahemed, "No matter. I guess I'll call in a favor or two once we get to Lowee."

"Favor?" Purple Heart frowned, eyeing Plutia.

"Oh sorry, do you feel left out?" Iris Heart teased, "Well, too bad. You're not invited."

"Plutie..." Purple Heart said in concern to what she's planning.

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing that bad... but right now, we should probably retrieve our friend. Shall we?" Iris Heart gestured towards the tree Maryo was at.

"Very well," Purple Heart turned to the immediate issue for the time being, and the two flew off to get Maryo down from the tree.

IF nodded to Compa, as they both grabbed whatever loot they could get from the drop, "Good job, Compa. Our formation skill is really paying off so far."

Compa, having freed her hands from putting the monster drops into her inventory, grabbed IF into a tight squeeze, "I always believed you and I can do it when we work together! That's my Iffy!"

IF flustered as her face was wrapped right under Compa's chest, as she was still kneeling down to pick up things, "D-d-do you mind not doing that so suddenly?"

Compa giggled, "Nope!"

IF sighed, but she didn't really struggle under the squeeze either.

* * *

Back at the small camp at the beginning of Atari Marsh, IF and the others brought Maryo to meet with the mushroom lady and the few Guild agents assigned to guard the area and assist with bringing in supplies. Maryo thanked the CPUs for their help, although he was perplexed by how he was rescued.

"Hi! I was your rescuer, mister mustached man," Plutia said politely, "I hope you are doing better now!"

The brother nodded, and went to ask what nation Plutia was from, since he wasn't aware of this CPU. Plutia said Planeptune, and the brother looked even more perplexed.

"Mama mia," the brother went, "I didn't think Orange Heart would turn out so differently!"

"Oh no, silly!" Plutia laughed, "I'm Iris Heart. I'm from another different dimension!"

The brother snapped his finger, "Oh, right, of course! I forgot about the other dimension for a moment. Well, thank you all the same!"

Plutia smiled, "No problem! It was really nothing, though. I was getting mad at those meanie turtles."

"Oh, tell me about it," Maryo shook his head, "You try to enjoy a nice trip, and even then, those jerks wouldn't leave me alone! The sky was falling, but no, me and my brother are their priority!" He grumbled, as IF cut in.

"Uh, sorry, sir? Maryo, sir?" IF cleared her throat, "I'm IF. I work for the Planeptune Guild. You've met Plutia here. With me are Compa and CPU Neptune." She politely introduced the two, who are chilling around with some food supplies brought in from the Guild, "I would like to ask you what's happened, and about your brother..."

"Of course!" Maryo jumped a little, but enough to make a springy noise, "I want to find my brother soon, too!"

IF nodded, "So, what happened? You said you were on a trip? With your brother?"

"Yes!" The brother nodded enthusiastically, "We were coming here to get a look at the area. We were thinking, maybe one day, we could have a kart track here and race around! It was one idea of many, to keep us in good shape! Brother wasn't too fond of it, though. He was scared of, well, everything. So, when the sky started falling, he panicked even moreso than usual. I was going to go looking for him when I was ambushed by those annoying turtles."

"So you have no idea where he could be now?" IF asked. Maryo shook his head, "That's too bad. Still, at least we managed to find you first. Anyway, thank you for telling us what you know. You're free to stay here for the time being. We're working on bringing down this firewall while looking for your brother."

"Firewall?" Maryo asked quizzically.

"That's what we're calling it," IF pointed to some Guild agents, "You can ask the Guild about it, as they have been informed of the latest developments."

"Oh, thank so much!" the brother smiled, then looked to Plutia, "And thank you again so much for saving the day."

Plutia beamed a smile at the brother, as he waved to the two and headed off to talk with the Guild. Plutia looked to IF, "The one in Ultradimension is kinda like that guy too!"

IF ohs, "I guess there's not a whole lot of change between the two dimensions, huh? Well, there are differences, I'm sure. For one, the CPU of Planeptune's different."

Plutia nodded, "Uh-huh," she then blinked, "You and Compa are different, though. I mean, from the Iffy and Compa I know."

"We weren't raised by you, for starters," IF noted.

Plutia sighed, "When I saw you and Compa use that skill of yours. The one that caused a pretty explosion on the monster, I was feeling a little proud. I was seeing two people I know do something so cool... but it wasn't the Iffy and Compa I know."

"No, it wasn't," IF grimaced as she heard the small hint of sadness in her tone.

There was a pause. "Iffy?" Plutia asked, "I know you're not the Iffy I helped raise, but I still wanna be friends with you. The Compa in this dimension has been nice to me so far. I was hoping we can still be friends."

IF took a deep breath, "Well... Plutia, I can't say I'm not a little hesitant, but if you can be friends with Nep and Compa, I suppose you can be friends with me as well."

"Really?" Plutia wasn't sure if she heard that correctly.

"Sure, I think we can work it out somehow," IF said, "I don't think I want to involved in whatever Iris Heart has in mind, though."

"Oh, that?" Plutia laughed weakly, "I don't feel comfortable doing that with Iffy, even from another dimension. Ever since I scared her that one time, I felt bad about the whole thing."

"Is that so?" IF asked in surprise.

"A little," Plutia muttered, "I know when I transform, people worry, but I am always trying really, really hard to keep it in check. Not that it always works. I still wanna be a good person, though! People have been so nice to me, that I sometimes get a little excited, ehehe."

IF slowly nodded, "Well, Plutia, after what I've seen so far, I can tell you're doing what you can. I can see why Neptune sees you as such a good friend."

Plutia smiled softly, "Th-thanks, Iffy."

IF glanced back, "We should probably get with the others, before Neptune eats all the supplies."

Plutia's eyes lit up, "Uh oh! Not the food! I'm hungry too!"

The two rushed back to the others, as Neptune was eating some chips rather noisily.

"Oh for crying out loud, Nep, at least chew with your mouth closed," IF berated her friend.

Neptune gulped what chips she had in her mouth, "My bad. I was just really hungry, and the Guild always brings the best chips with their supplies. Want some?" She offered the small, open bad to her.

"I'll pass," IF said as she sat herself down with the others on a sturdy log.

Neptune shrugged, "You're missing out, Iffy. Oh well! Plutie, you look really hungry. Here ya go!" She offered the rest of the bag to her, which the sleepy girl happily accepted with thanks.

"Nothing from Maryo, I take it?" Compa asked, as IF shook her head.

"Unfortunatel-" IF felt something vibrate, and the girl sprung up from her seat to check the text. After a moment, IF's eyes widened, "Uh, guys? We'll have to get going quickly."

"Hmm? What's up?" Neptune said with a bit of worry.

"Nepgear and the others are in trouble," IF put the phone away, "We've gotta get to the Hex Grasslands as soon as possible."

Looks like the other group is in trouble! What manner of folly has befallen Nepgear, Uzume, Blanc, and Thomas? What is Plutia planning at Lowee? Will Maryo make a new race track? Will there be any mention of pizza again? Has the author been replaced by an iguana? Find out more about this and other random non-sense in the next chapter!


	16. ACT II: Grinding In The Grasslands

**Party switched: Nepgear, Uzume, Blanc, Thomas**

* * *

After the party had split in two, Nepgear's group began moving east, towards the Hex Grasslands. It was still a long way there, however, and the group kept an eye out, hoping to find the brothers sooner rather than later.

As Thomas was pondering to himself behind the others, Blanc quietly snuck up to Uzume and Nepgear, "Pardon me, you two. May I quietly ask you two something?"

Nepgear was the first to respond, her heading turning to meet eyes with the Lowee CPU's, "Sure, Lady Blanc."

"Shoot, Blancsy. What's up?" Uzume tilted her head over to Blanc.

"Why is Tom in this adventuring party?" Blanc asked rather bluntly, "It doesn't seem like he would be in this line of work."

The two Planeptune CPUs paused, glancing at each other, before Uzume rubbed the back of her head. Nepgear said politely, "I can't really say for certain. I think even he isn't quite sure."

"This whole taking down the firewall kinda started with him," Uzume said quietly to Blanc, "According to him, that tome that we've been using to bring down these barriers was given to him by the spirit of the former goddess Uranus."

"Oh?" Blanc raised both her eyebrows, "And he's here currently to simply carry the tome, like some supply wagon?"

"Histoire also mentioned he has some sort of resonance, or amplifying effect to our Share Energy," Nepgear said, "It may be needed to have as much energy as possible to bring down the barriers, and in future battles."

"Huh," Blanc pondered this. She didn't mind the extra boost and all, but to bring this guy along? "He really doesn't need to do this," She continued, "We can handle it on our own."

"We can never be sure, Blancsy," Uzume said, "Besides, you might want to pin it on Neptune as well. She really wanted to have him join with us."

Blanc sighed, "So in the end, it was Neptune. Figures."

Nepgear looked to Uzume, ignoring Blanc's statement, "I wasn't around the party long enough, but weren't you going to miss him had he left, Uzume?"

Uzume blinked at Nepgear, "Well, I guess I would kinda miss him. After all, this all wouldn't have started if he and I didn't meet." She turned it over on Nepgear, "Don't tell me you wouldn't have been affected either. I mean, he did pour out his heart, telling part of that backstory of his to cheer you up."

Nepgear flustered, "O-of course I would be affected." She glanced back to make sure he was still out of hearing range before quickly turning her head, "I was kinda glad he accepted to come along, even if physically he isn't too strong."

Blanc shook her head, "Listen to you two. I almost feel a little sick listening to this."

Uzume shrugged, "Do you want us to ask him nicely to go back, is that it?"

Blanc bit her tongue, then said, "I did not mean that at all. I am merely saying you two were acting a bit strangely."

Uzume kept her tone non-chalant, "Maybe he's just grown on us. I am perfectly fine with him following."

Nepgear agreed, "Y-yeah! What she said."

Blanc winced, "Okay, fine. Just remember, we all have to make sure he's alright. I won't forgive either of you if I catch you slacking on that front."

Uzume blinked a moment as she listened to Blanc, then said, quite bluntly, "You're worried about him too, aren't you?"

Blanc grimaced, "That is not it at all." Uzume, however, could see Blanc's expression drop a little, giving it away.

"Oh come on, Blancsy," Uzume smiled happily, "You don't need to act like that in front of us."

Blanc sighed, "Think what you want. I'm done with this conversation now." She sped up a little in front of the two, opting to be the vanguard as she went back to looking around.

"I guess Lady Blanc doesn't really want to admit it upfront," Nepgear said.

Uzume huffed, "All she's doing is denying how she feels, and making me even more curious. I mean, you saw that hug too, right Gearsy?"

Nepgear glanced between the both of them to make sure they weren't capable of hearing them, "Uh, yeah, I did."

"Do you know anything about this? Did I miss something before?" Uzume asked Nepgear, "Did this guy have some crazy backstory with Blancsy too?"

"Uhh, I don't know for sure," Nepgear said, "I do know that, despite his complaining of the weather, Blanc and the twins didn't seem to mind him when he visited. Maybe Rom and Ram have more to say on the subject."

After a beat, Uzume asked Nepgear, "Don't tell me Tomsy had something happening with the other CPUs too? Should I expect something in Lastation and Leanbox?"

"Uhhhhhhh," Nepgear was put on the spot, "I can't really say he had much in the way of anything in Leanbox. As for Lastation... can I not talk about that? It's rather unpleasant."

"Gah! Now you're hiding stuff too, Gearsy?" Uzume closed her eyes and shook a fist, "Darnit, this is gonna be driving me nuts!"

"What's gonna drive you nuts?" The two could hear the voice of Thomas behind them, as he finally stopped pondering and moved up to meet the two.

 **"Eeep!"** Uzume jumped quite a bit away from Thomas when she heard him, "Nothing! Uzume is totally not, like, curious or being a snoop or anything like that! Hahahaha!"

Thomas, having not picked up on Uzume's tonal shift, raised an eyebrow nonetheless, "Okay." He looked to Nepgear, "She alright?"

"I wish I can tell you with certainty," Nepgear smiled.

"That's so mean of Gearsy! That's it! Uzume's gonna go back to searching now, and definitely not gonna bug Blancsy some more! Later!" With that, Uzume quickly fled the scene to join Blanc.

Thomas blinked, looking to Nepgear, "I interrupted something awkward, didn't I?"

Nepgear laughed nervously, "Looks like you did."

Thomas shook his head, "Sorry about that."

"No, not at all," Nepgear smiled, "I thought your timing was very well."

"Is that so?" Thomas scratched his chin, "I don't quite get it, but alright."

"Don't worry too much about it. Oh! By the way," Nepgear decided that it was time to switch topic, "Do you need any help with swinging the cutlass? I can offer some help, you know."

"R-really?" Thomas blinked, "I don't know if I plan to do anything fanciful with my fighting style."

"No, silly," Nepgear shook her head, "I mean, just being able to do some of the basics. I can tell from the few times you've fought with it, that you are still not familiar with the weapon."

Thomas coughed a bit, nodding.

Nepgear nodded, "It's okay! I can understand, especially if you haven't really fought before."

Thomas nodded some more, though slowly, "I... I have read a little into the weapon."

Nepgear pondered, "Right. Even though you are new, I did notice, especially with that new skill you acquired, that you know how to lunge. That's a pretty good skill to use with a blade like that. However, if you want to be defensive, you'll have to parry properly with the blade."

"Uh, right," Thomas said as he thought about it. In the previous battles, he did a lot of guarding; however, he always struggled to hold his position. Sometimes he'd stumble and get whacked for his error, or he might expose himself to another attack after blocking.

"Hold on a moment. Could you get into a fighting stance for me, please?" Nepgear asked, stopping both her and Thomas while Uzume and Blanc continued on ahead.

Thomas erred, "Alright." He stopped, and unsheathed his blade while getting into his stance.

"Hmm," Nepgear looked at him while holding her hands behind her back, "Let's see. You don't need to grip the blade so tightly. Loosen it a little so you can move it around in your hand a bit more."

Thomas looked down at his grip, and tried loosening his grip a little, his thumb moving to the back of the handle, "Like this?"

"Yeah," Nepgear said as she tried to recall it all in her head, "Okay, now try and center yourself a little more, with the blade outstretched to about here..." She gestured a little in front of her, giving a general idea where it should go.

Following that, Nepgear watched Thomas move, and said, "Try and balance yourself with your other hand behind you... you've seen some video of sword fights, right?"

"Uh, a little," Thomas winced, "Even though it was all choreographed, I always found this stance kinda goofy." He said as he folded his other arm back.

"It's to help balance and keep it away from any attacks," Nepgear noted, "Plus, if you parry right, you can lead the enemy off-balance and counter."

"I guess that makes a bit of sense," Thomas admitted, as Nepgear kept looking over him. Though it did feel a bit weird seeing Nepgear looking at him up and down, he tried as best he could to keep his stance.

"Uh-huh... okay... yosh!" Nepgear pumped her fists, "See the non-curved part of your blade? You'll need to try and parry with that part. Now..." She got into a similar stance, sans blade, and moved her outstretched arm in a couple of directions, "Can you move like this? Try to get a feel moving the weapon around like this, because this is how you can block to the side and above your head."

Thomas nodded slowly, and tried to copy Nepgear's movements, "Left... right... up... left... right... up..."

"Good!" Nepgear said, "I could try and teach you more, but I think we should probably keep moving since the other two are getting away."

"Oh! Right!" Thomas hesitated, and put the cutlass back in the scabbard. Nepgear laughed a bit as the two made a brisk walk, trying to catch up.

As they were slowly gaining, Thomas remembered, "Uh, you know, Nepgear. I don't recall you taking a stance like that whenever you fight, though..."

"Oh!" Nepgear thought for a second, then responded, "You've seen the blades I've used though, right?"

"You... have a point, actually," Thomas recalled how big those blades could get, and muttered, "How can anyone wield it so easily... oh right, I'm talking to a goddess here."

"Candidate," Nepgear corrected him, "But I guess you're right. Uni kinda scolds me sometimes about how I wield my weapons. In fact, some of the stuff I just told you, I remembered from her. She would always try to get me into practice with her."

"Huh, I didn't imagine she would be lecturing you on sword-fighting," Thomas was a little surprised.

Nepgear smiled, "She does use guns a lot more, but she does follow Noire after all. I imagined she tried to follow how she would fight, as well."

"That would make some sense," Thomas said, as Nepgear had a deep sigh.

"I hope they're alright," Nepgear muttered.

"They are a resilient duo," Thomas said of Noire and Uni, "I'm sure those two can handle themselves."

Nepgear smiled faintly, "Y-you're right. I'm still worried, all the same."

"We'll get there, Nepgear, I am cer-"

 **"Do you want to say that again?"**

Thomas was interrupted by the voice of one angry Blanc, who wasn't yelling at them. Rather, she was clearly upset by whatever Uzume said, as Blanc brought out her hammer and Uzume waved her hands, trying to calm her down.

"We better step in before things get worse," Thomas said to Nepgear.

"I hope we can somehow calm her down," Nepgear was rather worried, as they ran to catch up to the two.

* * *

A while later, the four have made it to the Hex Grasslands, finally, as Nepgear sighed, "I can't believe you told her we saw..."

Uzume sighed, "Sorry. The argument got heated and I just shot off my mouth. So I told her about the hug we saw."

"Can we not bring that up again?" Blanc grumbled.

"Same," Thomas muttered, quickly changing topic, "We're at the Grasslands anyway. No sign of either brother so far. Let's see how far we can go before hitting the barrier." He rubbed his forehead as his headache returned again.

"Right," Uzume grimaced before taking a moment to look at the scenery, "Now I truly feel like I'm entering Lowee. The land shapes, the platforms, everything is just so different from the rest of the continent."

Blanc said, with a hint of pride, "It does make Lowee a rather unique nation, I admit."

"I can feel the cool winds starting to show up," Thomas shivered, "Yeah, definitely in Lowee territory now."

"I wonder how the land got like this," Nepgear wondered aloud, "Not only some of the platforms, but how the hills seem to grow into perfect hex shapes."

The CPUs jumped up a level of hex-shaped hills, while Thomas opted to climb instead, as he wasn't that good a jumper. "I wondered about that," Thomas said to Nepgear, "I think some of our scientists are still trying to figure that out. Although, the Hex Grasslands have usually been the sight of many old strategy games. After all, these clean-cut hexes are excellent for defense placements."

"True," Blanc said, "A lot of old games about possible console war battles usually took place around here."

"I'm rather glad it didn't come to pass," Nepgear said in relief.

"Agreed," Blanc smiled a little, "In any case, let's keep looking for those mustached men."

The four kept moving on, trying to cover as much territory as they could while looking for the brothers. This has led to them taking on more monsters than they wanted to. However, the CPUs were more than a match for the monsters, with Blanc being a heavy-hitter while the others were good all-rounders, capable of fighting, healing, and buffing.

As this was going on, Thomas was getting a workout. In addition to barely jumping on a few platforms to keep up with the group, he worked on his parrying from what Nepgear showed him, and on keeping his balance while fighting. He still kept in the back row, but once in a while, he did use his new skill to delay the monsters enough for the others to finish them off.

Thomas stopped to catch his breath after another battle, and stumbled onto a small hill on one of the hexes. As he was catching his breath, he could hear some other breathing behind him, on the other side of the hill.

Thomas' eyes widened, before slowly looking behind him to see a lean man ducking behind the hill he was on. Thomas quietly spoke to him, so as not to startle him, "Are you alright, sir?"

The man shook a bit as he looked up to see Thomas. The man clearly fit the description of one of the brothers, as the mustached man murmured, "It's not around, is it?"

Thomas looked around, "I don't see anything. Should there b-"

 **RAWWWWWWWWWR!**

The mustached man eeped, and ducked back down, as Thomas turned his head over to see a large scaly creature, with sharp claws, a big maw with sharp teeth, and a pair of wings that enabled some flight. Even standing tall, however, it dwarfed Thomas in size, and it was just several feet away from him.

Thomas came to a huge revelation, and his entire body complexion paled, as he shivered, jumping off his seat and regaining a second wind enough to start backing away.

 **"A-a-a-an Ancient Dragon! Ancient Dragon!"** Thomas yelled as he hoped to get the attention of the CPUs who weren't too far away. He knew about these things to know it was not wise to even be near one, let alone one looking for prey. These things were strong enough to even give the goddesses a run for their money. They were not good for any low-level adventurer, and certainly not for Thomas to handle on his own by a long shot.

Thomas started to flee when the others finally arrived, with Blanc holding her hammer out. "Ancient Dragon here? What rotten luck!" Uzume said as she cracked her knuckles.

"I also found Player 2 hiding behind that hill there," Thomas said quickly, motioning only a little, "We gotta get that thing away from him!"

"We'll take care of the monster," Blanc exclaimed, "Get him to a safe distance away from it!"

Thomas stopped fleeing, though he clearly was scared of going back, "O-o-okay!"

"We'll charge in and push it back," Nepgear said, "When we do, rush in there."

Thomas nodded, as Blanc readied the girls to charge.

 **RAWWWWWWWWWR!**

"Now!" Blanc yelled at the three leaped in with their weapons drawn. Meanwhile, Thomas ran back to the hill to check on Player 2.

"Come on, the goddesses can handle this, let's get you to a safer spot!" Thomas called him out.

"The goddesses? Oh thank them they're here!" Player 2 seemed a little relieved, but was still in a panic as he followed Thomas away from the group. Thomas led him far away to another section of the grasslands, where they could still get a good view of what was happening, but far away enough to not be a part of the action.

Player 2 slid back on a reserve 'slope' of hexes leading to a small lake at the bottom, and tried to wash his face a bit while Thomas kept an eye on the battle. Player 2 then leaned up next to Thomas to get a view of the battle too, "I'm glad you all showed up when you did. I got separated from my brother after the sky fell, and I found myself here. Since then, I've been dodging monsters left and right... stumbling into that thing last."

"You must have terrible luck, then," Thomas winced.

"You're telling me!" Player 2 grimaced, "Can they handle that? Ancient Dragons are really powerful."

"I have faith in them," Thomas murmured.

 **"Mirage Dance!"** Nepgear exclaimed as she unleashed some of her SP skills to try and whittle down the Dragon's strength. Even though the Dragon took each slash directly, its high armor meant that it wasn't reeling back from the attack. The Dragon lashed out with its own slash attack, which Blanc rushed in to try and guard. She winced as she took some strong hits, but still held her own.

Setting aside her megaphone briefly, Uzume cracked her knuckles, "A sturdy one, aren't ya?" She then rushed in with a barrage of punches, with a bunch of **"Ora!"** yelled in for good measure. This pushed the Dragon back just a bit for Nepgear to get in a Defensive Cheer to boost up their defense while Blanc healed with a small potion.

The Dragon was getting sick of the punches Uzume was dishing out, and stomped its foot, causing a shockwave that knocked back Uzume, Blanc, and Nepgear several feet. They all landed fine, and didn't take much damage, but it was still annoying all the same.

Uzume growled, "That stupid thing's tough. How are we going to deal with that?"

"Attrition," Blanc said simply, "It's annoying, but we can wear that thing down and keep it away from the others."

"Right," Nepgear gripped her sword to get into stance, "We can take this o-"

 **RAWWWWWWWWWR!**

The next few moments caught everyone off-guard... even the monster! The Dragon was suddenly attacked by a tall, but not massive, humanoid robot. The Dragon was initially unfazed by this, and retaliated with its own strikes. However, just as the Dragon was starting to feel each jab at its frame, the robot remained unflinching as its continued its assault, with its soft glow showing some literal fire in its attacks.

The Dragon was getting weaker, and getting pushed back by this sudden intruder. As quickly as the robot came in, it quickly gave a boot to the Dragon, sending it flying off into the far-off distance... or at least, into the barrier nearby, where it was finished off by the electricity.

"What just happened?" Blanc asked, as the robot went into standby, before turning its head towards the group.

"I think we should transform now," Nepgear said, "Whatever happened, it does not appear friendly."

The robot was quietly surveying the group, before its lighting, initially blue, turned red, and it flared up. To be more precise, the lighting began spouting off fire, as flames enveloped the robot's armor, and it took a combative stance.

"Transforming!" Uzume exclaimed as she and the others called on their share energy to change into their HDD forms.

"You think a little fire is going to scare me? Are you really that dense?" The blue-haired White Heart said defiantly as she gripped her weapon, and flew right at the robot. The flaming robot took that moment to charge up and jump at her. The surprise move knocked Blanc off to the side, as the robot leaped through over to the other two, knocking both of them to the side.

"Owie..." Orange Heart complained as she and Nepgear were momentarily dazed by the move. The robot then turned its head towards the CPU, and readied its heated arm for an overhead chop.

Just as Orange Heart lifted her megaphone up to try and hold back the arm, another blade went up to meet with the arm. "Tomsy?" Uzume looked surprised to see Thomas rush in with his cutlass to, just barely, hold up the arm as it was coming down.

Thomas seethed, struggling to keep the cutlass up with both his hands holding the weapon up, "I will not let you..." Is the best he could say before he remained intently focused on his block. To break the stalemate, Thomas pushed to one side to let the robot miss with its chop, letting Uzume regain her balance, and giving him an opportunity to strike, as he slashed at the briefly disoriented robot.

 **0.** That was the amount of damage Thomas was able to hit.

"Nothing?" Thomas' pupils dilated as his counter did no damage, and the robot regained its composure to attack the confused man. Surprised, Thomas was about to take a fiery punch to the jaw when Nepgear and Blanc flew in to bring their weapons in to block. Though they were able to block the attack, the force knocked them into Thomas, who was pushed back a couple of feet, landing uncomfortably in the far-off dirt near where Player 2 was watching.

"Thomas!" Nepgear yelled, as Blanc pushed back at the robot rather angrily.

"You bastard! **I'll kill you!"** Now in her typical rage, Blanc's eyes went red as she went aggressive on the robot, who was barely able to keep up with Blanc surprising quickness. As that happened, Thomas stirred from his landing, and gestured to Nepgear to keep going with the battle.

Thomas slowly got himself up from the rough landing, as Player 2 told him, "Did you just go insane there?"

"Probably. Most likely. Yes. Ow..." Thomas cringed as he ached all over, "I chose poorly."

"Get back here," Player 2 insisted, "You better heal while they deal with this."

"I'll take you up on that," Thomas said as he stumbled back to the hiding spot with the mustached man.

Blanc was still on her assault, getting a little winded, but her momentum didn't slow down. Unfortunately for her, the robot was still take next to little damage. It was still a lot better than Thomas' attack, but all the attack did was push it back a couple of steps. Frustrated, White Heart stomped her foot, unleashing her Zerstorung attack, using it to knock the robot back a few feet to give her some time to think.

White Heart quickly went to the SP skills, throwing a couple of ice pellets in her next attack, **"Gefahrlichtern!"** She yelled as she used her weapon as a baseball bat, knocking the magic ice pellets to hit the robot in a couple of explosions. As the explosions faded, the robot could be seen momentarily dazed, but it did not receive much damage. The most notable thing, however, was that the flames that once enveloped the robot were gone.

Orange Heart, back on her feet, saw this as a chance to attack, **"Here! My spinny drill!"** She unleashed one of her arms at one of the robot's shoulders, summoning a magic drill that pierced down into the robot's armor. Uzume then sprinted behind the robot, turning as the spot exploded. This caused some actual visible damage to the robot that both Thomas and Player 2 could see. However, it was not long before the robot slowly turned its armor aflame once more. "Oh come on!" Uzume complained, "Go down already!"

"Did you see that?" Player 2 asked to Thomas.

"I did," Thomas said in response, "The ice must've brought down its armor rating for a while. If we can bring down its fire, we have a chance to bring it down."

Player 2 hmmed, "I wish I had an ice flower with me, but I think I have something else in my inventory."

"What do you have in there, a water gun?" Thomas blinked, "Because we'll need something a bit stronger than a kid's toy."

"Nonono," Player 2 shook his head, "I have something else. It's a super powerful vacuum cleaner. Well, sort of. I know some crazy professor. Told me this was useful against ghosts. Never used it, but it works in two ways. One way, it works like a super powered vacuum. The other, you switch from suck to blow-"

"Excuse me?" Thomas raised an eyebrow, before Player 2 pointed down behind him to the little lake. "Suck in water..." Player 2 then gestured towards the robot, "Then shoot at the robot."

Thomas nodded slowly, "I got it. Leave it to me, then."

Player 2 winced, "You sure about that? Aren't you still trying to recover?"

"I'll heal," Thomas said, "Unless you want to go insane too and go up yourself."

Player 2 threw up his hands, "Forget I said anything! Good luck!"

Nepgear was just finished sending a text to IF on her N-Gear as Uzume and Blanc kept the robot busy. She then returned to the battle, "I've contacted the others. I don't know how long until they could get here, though!"

Blanc grumbled, "If only I had more shares, I'd get into Next Form to bring this guy down."

Uzume flew beside Blanc, "Uzume's really getting frustrated with this meanie robot!"

Blanc held her hammer in front, "Let's just keep wailing on this bastard!"

"Wait!" Blanc blinked as Thomas dragged a weird-looking vacuum cleaner behind him, pointing the machine at the robot. The robot looked over back at Thomas, but before it could react, Thomas reversed the controls, turning the vacuum into a makeshift water hose, spraying water over the flames. Although the flames were not completely doused, the robot certainly didn't look so hot anymore.

"Ice or water will cool off its armor! Now, while it's down a little, hit it with everything!" Thomas exclaimed the simple strategy.

Blanc grinned, "A robot weak to ice? Seriously?" She jumped in, winding herself up and hitting with the **"Tanzerin Trombe!"** which end with an overhead smash on the robot, splashing with ice damage, causing its flame armor to be fully doused.

With that, Uzume flew in, attacking once more with the spinny drill of doom, attacking the other shoulder. Sparks began flying as the robot was reeling from the attack, and the ensuing explosion caused significant damage. Nepgear was next in line, "I'll go next with my **Panzer Blade!"** She leaped in with a flurry of slashes, each tearing into the wounds created by Uzume, knocking it back with a final slash.

Blanc's smile faded into a rage, "Like I said, I will kill you. Now, **die!"** With one last strike, White Heart jumped in with an overhead smash, causing even the ground to break, and a flame erupted to envelop the robot in its explosion. Fortunately, it was not the flames that protected it earlier, as the robot dissipated soon afterwards, leaving behind some credits and other generic loot.

Thomas, both relieved and exhausted, stumbled down to sit on the ground, dropping the cleaner, "I-i-it's over, right?"

The boss? The chapter? Why yes, Thomas. It's over.


	17. ACT II: Platforming In Lowee

After they all managed to defeat the boss and catch their breath, the party returned to the camp where Player 2 could reunite with his brother and the mushroom lady. Nepgear had called back IF prior to returning, so the others didn't have to go too far before turning back.

"Quest complete!" Neptune said after a bit of fanfare presumably played in her head, judging by the heroic pose.

"It's too bad we couldn't get there in time to help with that robot," IF said to Nepgear, "But you managed it without us all the same."

"Yeah, well, it still was a rather tough boss," Nepgear muttered, "At least until we figured out it was weak to ice and water attacks."

Thomas returned the cleaner to Player 2, as he didn't really want to lug that thing around in his inventory, even if it would be useful in the future. He was then interrupted by Blanc, who stared at him coldly, "You really should've stayed back there. Nearly getting yourself killed like that."

"I know, I know," Thomas shook his head, "I'm not really suited for this combat stuff, but... I don't know, it's hard after a while to just stand back and watch." He grimaced, "Even if it's a small chance to help..."

Blanc closed her eyes and sighed, "I don't know if I can get you to stop doing something stupid like that again. Just be careful in the future, alright?"

Thomas slumped, "Yeah, okay... I'm gonna go rest now, if you don't mind. Still sore after all of that." He slowly walked his way over to a nearby outdoor cot, and flopped himself onto it, facefirst.

As Uzume came up beside Blanc, seeing Thomas resting in the cot, Blanc asked her, "Was he like this during the adventure prior?"

"Hmm?" Uzume racked her brain to think about that, "Well... a lot of times, he'd stay back, but there have been instances where he would rush ahead after a thought." She shrugged, "I can't really tell with him sometimes."

From the cot, Thomas could muffle some words, but it was hard to make out the exact quote. Still, one could imagine he heard what they were saying and was just reminding them that he could still hear them. Uzume smirked, and slowly inched closer to the cot. Blanc just shook her head and turned around, to check with IF and Nepgear.

"So you had to deal with a robot with high physical armor that was disabled by elemental attacks?" IF tried to get this right from Nepgear.

"It was using a sort of aura around it that make it difficult to damage," Nepgear said, "Well, that and it looked like it was on fire. It took out that Ancient Dragon rather handily, though the robot didn't have that fire on prior. It must've upped its defense when it saw us, though, at the cost of having such a fatal weakness."

"Otherwise, you imagine it would be like fighting an Ancient Dragon?" IF asked.

"It probably had more levels than the monster," Nepgear recalled, "The Ancient Dragon would`ve taken a while to beat, but it was managable. The robot, on the other hand, took us by surprise initially."

"It did have some strength to it, and even though we were lucky near the end, I could imagine a robot like that in the future will be a pain," Blanc cut in.

"Are you saying we should be expecting more of these guys going forward?" IF asked.

"Wouldn't surprise me at all," Nepgear said.

"Great," IF palmed on her forehead, the sleeve dropping down just over an eye, "We'll have to be prepared for that, then."

"My sisters are good with elemental magics," Blanc stated, "Hopefully we can get to them before we deal with any more of those things."

"Those robots attack CPU and monster alike," IF took her hand down and fiddled with her sleeves, "And aside from what Histoire's theorized so far, we have no idea why."

"It wasn't like any of them have been talkative," Nepgear frowned, "Nowadays, we have ordinary robots with their own individuality, their own thoughts and feelings. I mean, even when they were not on our side, they could be talked to."

"A cold program that decided one day to quarantine Gamindustri. I would imagine the robots are simply shells of a singular mind," Blanc said, trying to theorize as she put a hand to her chin, "A typical robot fiction story, perhaps."

"For now, we'll just have to keep going with the plan, and break these barriers down," IF said as she looked over her shoulder to see Neptune enjoying a rest with Compa. Meanwhile, near the cot, Plutia and Uzume were busy teasing Thomas while he was still facefirst lying down. They gave him a poke every now and then, which Thomas feebly reacted with a slow swipe of an arm in that direction, followed by some murmurs.

"Should we-" Nepgear was about to ask.

"No," Blanc answered quickly, "We can rest a bit." Slowly inching over towards the cot, Blanc knelt down and gave the tired Thomas a small poke on the ribs, "Poke."

"Errgh, waiupohk blarghle..." Thomas murmured as he meekly reacted, turning a little in his rest.

Nepgear, not wishing to be left out, and feeling the peer pressure, went to the other side of the cot to join in on the poking, "Poke~!"

"Whaiish evwywun pohking?" Thomas murmured incoherently, but didn't appear to be doing much to stop it.

"Sometimes, I have a hard time believing these are people that can save the world," IF shook her head at the silliness that was in front of her.

* * *

After some rest, and who knew how many pokes later, Thomas got up to check one last time with the brothers before heading out with the CPUs. Compa followed with him as the two met with the mushroom lady and the brothers.

"Ah, again, thank-a so much for you to helping us out," Maryo smiled happily as he patted his tummy, having finished some grub from the supplies the Guild has brought.

"It was no problem, Mister Maryo, sir!" Compa beamed, "We'll be heading out with the goddesses soon to help liberate Lowee from the firewall. When we do, we'll get in contact with the Guild and let you know when you can get back home."

"Thank you again," the mushroom lady, named Toady, bowed her head, "We shall wait here until then."

"It would be nice to rest and not have to worry about those monsters," Player 2 sounded relieved as he slouched in his seat.

"That does sound tempting," Thomas murmured, somewhat envious of Player 2 being able to sit on the sidelines.

"There' s no need to be like that, Tom-Tom," Compa insisted.

"Err, I meant it sounded tempting, but I probably should continue anyway," Thomas cleared his throat.

Maryo sighed a little, "After those issues we had with those turtles, perhaps I should think again before building a new kart track around here."

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, "Maybe. Perhaps you should build somewhere less adventurous. Or at least, somewhere where the local populace isn't quite hostile towards you."

Maryo winced, "Ah... you may have a point."

"Who knows, though," Thomas said as he glanced north towards the Atari Marsh, "Maybe in the future, you might come to an understanding with those turtles, where you might be allowed to build a little track around here. Maybe even one day come to an agreement to race against each other on the track."

"I don't know about that," the brother shook his head, "It seems rather impossible."

Thomas shrugged, "Maybe I am a little too idealistic, there. I was just thinking aloud. I mean, here we are, in between two console nations that weren't so friendly to each other long ago, citizens helping each other out..." He laughed, "I thought maybe the idea of beating each other in a race would be more interesting than another fight."

Maryo laughed a little, "One can always dream. Well, maybe one day. For now, I guess I'll just wait here with my brother."

Thomas smiled a bit, "Yeah. Anyway, you all take care of yourselves. We'll get in contact once things get better in Lowee."

"You too!" Maryo exclaimed, "Give my regards to the goddesses! To Lady White Heart, and to Lady Plutia as well!"

"Plutia?" Thomas muttered under his breath, as he looked to Compa quizzically.

Compa smiled, "Long story while you were out looking for Player 2. I'll tell her thanks for you, Mister Maryo!"

Maryo bowed his head, tipping his hat over at the nurse, before waving his farewells to the two. Both Toady and Player 2 also said their goodbyes, politely waving as Thomas and Compa left.

"You think the brothers and the turtles might be able to get along one day?" Compa asked of Thomas, as the two walked away to meet with the party.

"I really don't know. I personally hope so," Thomas said with a shrug, "Although we fought many monsters and robots over the time, we do know many who have also become our friends and allies. It's a small hope."

"There's no shame in feeling that way, Tom-Tom," Compa beamed, "Even a little bit of that hope can go a long way."

"Yeah, it's the rest of the way that's the tough part," Thomas murmured.

"Although, now I got an image of a turtle driving a kart," Compa giggled, her eyes closed as she visualized it, "Trying to run his rival off the track. Holy crap, it's so cute!"

"Cross your fingers, Compa," Thomas joked, "One can always dream."

* * *

The party finally left camp and headed back to the Hex Grasslands, heading back to where Nepgear's group dealt with the elemental robot. It wasn't long before they once more met with a barrier of the firewall, and Blanc transformed to bring down that section.

The barrier dissipated, and White Heart changed back to her human form, "Alright. That barrier is down. We need to get through the rest of the Grasslands first."

"Aren't there a couple of cities to check on after here?" Neptune asked, recalling from her times visiting Lowee back and forth.

Blanc nodded, "The next area would be the Iris Fields. From there, we can continue east to Lowee, go north to Sim City, or south to Randome City."

"Perhaps we should head straight for Lowee, or at least see how far we can go before we hit another barrier," Thomas suggested.

"If we can secure the Basilicom or meet with Rom and Ram early, it might make helping the rest of Lowee much easier," Nepgear said.

"Seems to be the plan, pending any other wacky interruptions," IF replied with a shrug, as the group continued east.

* * *

During the trip through the Hex Grasslands, the group encountered a few obstacles where jumping was required. Thomas hesitated, as he tried to find alternative ways to get around having to jump. Unfortunately for him, there was one instance that he would have to leap over to a floating platform to get to the next section of the area.

Plutia paused at the floating platform as she saw Thomas hesitate, and tilted her head, "Hey! Tommy, is something the matter? You don't want to fall behind, do you?"

Thomas gulped a little, and looked at Plutia, "Yeah, er, just... do you mind not being too close to the edge there?"

"Hmm? Oh! O-kay!" Plutia inched away from the edge of the platform, while Thomas also took a few steps back. Thomas took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Then, after a pause, he took a running start, leaping off the edge of his section, and got close to the floating platform... but fell just a bit short.

"Tommy?!" Plutia's eyes widened as she inched back towards the edge of the platform, looking down. Just then, however, she felt something under her foot.

"Aah! Plutia!" Thomas cringed as Plutia stepped onto one of his hands that grabbed onto the ledge, "Y-y-you are on my hand." He couldn't even let go as Plutia had the hand stuck under her foot but good. Not that he would want to let go, as his other hand was still trying to grasp the ledge.

"Oh! Tommy! You're okay!" Plutia smiled, ignoring his plea for the moment as she reached down and pulled Thomas up and onto the platform. Thomas oofed, as Plutia continued, "You do not look too good at jumping."

"I'm not good at jumping," Thomas frowned, shaking the hand that was stepped on earlier, feeling some soreness, "I mean, I can't jump as well as the others. So, when I have to make my way around, I have to climb or make running leaps like what you saw there. Ow..."

Plutia bent her knees to level with Thomas' eyes, tilting her head, "Has it always been like this?"

Thomas winced, rubbing his hand, "Yeah, it has been sort of like this since I was young. I could do plenty of climbing, but I can barely jump over some simple jumping puzzles. Sometimes I wonder if they thought of me when they made those first-person shooter characters who could barely even jump a fence." Thomas muttered, rather irritated.

Plutia hummed softly, "Maybe you just need a little more practice?"

Thomas shook his head, "I would usually avoid such things until recently." He sighed, "Like fighting, I tried to find my way around so as not to do it. I thought it would be enough to just get by."

"Well, you'll have to get better anyway!" Plutia insisted, "Besides, you've got people like me to help you out! You know you could always just ask!"

Thomas sighed, "I can't just ask you all to just carry me around."

"Oh?" Plutia blinked, "You carried me back when I was tired in Otori Cave, didn't you?"

"Well... I did, though I don't know if I had much of a choice," Thomas conceded.

Plutia giggled a bit, and reached over to hold the stepped-on hand in both of her hands, holding gently, "Then think of it as a little help. We're both in this together, riiight?"

Thomas blinked, as Plutia felt a little flushed under her cheeks, holding his hand for a while, before slowly moving up to grab around the wrist. With that, she led a confused Thomas up to his feet, then, after closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she pulled Thomas with her, making a 'run' towards the other side of the platform, readying to make the jump.

"P-P-Plutia? W-wait! I'm not-" Thomas could barely get out his protest, as Plutia's grip was extremely firm, and she pulled Thomas with her as she jumped.

"Jeeeeeeeeee-ump!" Plutia exclaimed this even as she was already midway through the jump, eventually clearing the gap between the floating platform and the next section. Thomas was barely able to somehow not lose his arm during the pull, and made the jump along with Plutia.

Plutia slowly let go of Thomas' wrist after the two balanced on their feet, and giggled, "There we go! We're across!"

Thomas was rather disoriented after the jump, but managed to re-balance himself. "You did not need to do that," He murmured.

"But I wanted to!" Plutia exclaimed. However, before she could elaborate on anything else, the two were interrupted by Uzume and Neptune, who called out behind them before turning to check on the two.

"What's taking you two so long? Come on, step it up!" Uzume called on the two to hurry it up.

"Was there a treasure that we missed or something? If it was, I am ashamed for not grabbing it sooner," Neptune bounced in to meet with the two, "I don't know why I would miss one, though. I usually have the best luck finding hidden items."

"Just some platforming issues," Thomas winced as he rubbed his formerly grabbed arm, trying to get some feeling in after it was yanked and pulled.

"Tommy can't jump well, so I helped!" Plutia put it simply, still keeping that seemingly-innocent smile of hers.

"Oh? I was wondering why you weren't following closely behind us," Neptune said, "Still, why didn't you tell any of us, Tommy?"

Uzume thought about it for a while, as she was in Thomas' group earlier, "I didn't see you jump a whole lot either when we last came by here."

"I didn't think it was needed to bring it up," Thomas relented, "Besides, we have more pressing things to concern ourselves with than my lack of mad platform jumping skills." In an attempt to get the conversation over with, and not fall too far behind, he decided to move ahead, walking past the girls as he tried to catch up with the others.

Neptune, however, was not one to simply give up so easily, walking briskly past him and leaning her face to ask, "You know, if you need help with some jumping, I can be your coach! We can do jumping exercises and jump around like kangaroos! I am the best jumper of all the CPUs, after all!"

"Excuse me? Nepsy, did I hear that right?" Uzume cut in, going to Thomas' other side, "Because clearly you haven't seen me jump around. I can outjump anyone in Gamindustri! I can jump high, far, in any direction! I'll even do a spin if I need to!"

"Whaaat?" Neptune was acting shocked, "You didn't tell me you were actually some sort of super ninja! Do you go **'Nin-nin!'** while doing a spinny jump too, because I can totally see Orange Heart doing that!"

"Quit pulling my leg, Nepsy!" Uzume flustered, "I'm telling you the truth here! I can outjump you and any of the other CPUs any day, any time, anywhere!"

"I guffaw in your general direction!" Neptune mocked, "Ha ha ha! Look, I may be a slouch in a lot of departments, but I take great pride in my jumping prowess, and no one, not even someone from the same CPU line as me, is going to take my title of best jumper away!"

"I don't have to take it away, because you never had it!" Uzume said in defiance, "You may as well just forget about being Tomsy's jumping coach and let me handle this!"

"Ha!" Neptune smirked, "Is that how it is? Okay! I sense a challenge! Betcha can't outjump me from here to our next destination! Jumping challenge go!"

"W-w-what?" Uzume was surprised as Neptune started doing a couple of hops on the way, trying to get better height with each bounce, "You're on! I'm not backing down to any junior!" She soon started bouncing, as the two tried to outjump the other as they moved forward.

"May as well retire now," Neptune teased, "There's always a spring in this Nep!"

"Retire?" Uzume seethed, "Fat chance, Nepsy!"

The two would continue bouncing here and there and everywhere, as Thomas thought the ridiculousness was beyond compare. He just shook his head and sighed, "I didn't even agree to being coached."

"Oh, good!" Plutia beamed, walking up beside him, "I may not jump like those two but I can always help out!"

"I didn't ask for help either..." Thomas was becoming rather exasperated at this point. He was being dragged along, both literally and figuratively, whether he wanted to or not.

* * *

After the two girls wore themselves out to a draw, leaving the debate open for future internet flame wars on who was the better jumper, Uzume and Neptune slowly followed behind everyone else as they finally got of the Grasslands. Iris Field had significantly less platforms, which made moving around a little easier for Thomas.

Plutia picked out a nearby iris flower to admire its beauty, when the group stopped to look around.

Thomas shivered a little, "The closer we get to Lowee, the colder I feel. I must be strong."

"It's not that cold, is it?" Blanc asked as the group took a moment to rest.

Thomas simply eyed Blanc, incredulous that she would even ask that. After a pause, Blanc shrugged, and looked to IF, "It should not too far away until we can see Lowee. I do not see any barriers ahead. This might be a lucky break."

"I somehow doubt it'll be that easy," IF commented, to which Blanc simply nodded. "I don't think I need to say this by now, but keep your eyes open for anything."

Plutia blinked as the iris flew free from her grasp, "Huh?" She glanced up at the sky, puzzled.

The group continued on their path, heading east. Although there was less platforming, there was more fighting in the region. They had to deal with monsters such as the more wild cats like the Meow, flower-like enemies like the Moulin Rouge, and, of course, more Turtles. Given that they had eight members of their party against enemy mobs, the battles were not too difficult, giving everyone a chance to take a breather during some battles.

As they kept moving, though, clouds slowly formed in the sky, and a small shower began.

"Woah woah woah," Neptune looked surprised as she started to see some droplets on her skin, "We actually have rain? Nobody told me we were going to be dealing with precipitation!"

"What are you talking about?" Blanc blinked, "We have snow in Lowee. Of course rain would exist."

"No, I mean, **raiiiiiiiin!** We don't have weather changes, like, ever!" Neptune insisted, much to the confusion of everyone.

"Uh, Neptune? Are you sure you're okay?" Nepgear said with increasing concern for her sister.

"Neptune has a sort of point," Thomas interjected, as he looked up in the skies, "This weather does not appear to be a natural occurrence."

"Yeah! That's what I meant! Exactly!" Neptune exclaimed.

"Whatever, Nep," IF said before noticing the rain picking up, and the wind too, "I'm not liking this one bit."

The group tried to hold their balance as they pushed ahead into the torrent of rain and wind that kept building. Unfortunately, they all struggled to even move forward. While IF tried to use her katars to dig into the ground, she could only scrape a little of the ground before she too struggled on her feet.

"What the goodness is happening?" Nepgear was at a loss in figuring out why the weather grew so hostile, pushing them back and keeping them from moving east.

"If this keeps up, we all run the risk of catching a bad cold!" Compa said while slipping back.

The first to make a change was Blanc, who transformed into White Heart to try and fly against the wind. While she made some leeway, she realized how the others needed to be saved, and went to grab Compa, "Arrgh! We have to retreat! This weather's a bit too much to handle right now!"

Neptune winced, "I have to agree with Blanc here! Let's head back to the Grasslands!" She transformed into Purple Heart, and pulled back, picking up IF to help her out as they flew back.

Eventually, the other CPUs transformed, and started to retreat away from the crazy rain. Thomas, however, was still stuck as he struggled to stay on his feet. He somehow inched behind a rock, but all it did was briefly slow down the torrent in front of him. Orange Heart soon grabbed him by the shoulders, "Come on, Tomsy! We can't stay here!" She winced and picked him up to follow the retreat, the wind doing little to stop their falling back.

Could it be? Could the CPUs finally have a weakness, and the weakness was the... weather? Seriously, this is a really silly way to end a chapter. Ah, whatever. Be sure to check in next time where I'm sure they'll come up with a plan to defeat the heavy rain, probably with some quick-time events or something, I dunno. This Act is silly.


	18. ACT II: Operation Rainbreaker

**(Hello all reading! I thank you all for the feedback, follows, favorites, and other fun things you have provided so far on the story! I appreciate the little things so far as I trudge along! This is as much a thing for me to experience writing as it is for you all reading! Just thought I'd add a little something before I continue.**

 **I have already written a few chapters ahead, as is the way I am doing things. I like to look over what I've written so far before publishing and all that. Still, I worry that I might be writing filler chapters in some cases. Again, probably just me being a worrywart and all. Still, don't be surprised if you see me posting a two-fer in the future or something like that. Just a heads up!**

 **Lastly, I will be resetting/redoing the unofficial poll in my profile at the end of Act II, which is still a while to come. I will add the other CPUs and candidates yet introduced in that poll since... well, they will show up. Holy crap, spoilers! But anyway, the poll is more of a guide in future writing, rather than definitely deciding on who Thomas ends up pairing with, if at all. If you want me to decide on a pairing, you'll have to make a convincing argument somehow. The poll results won't do alone! Nope! Convince me! I have the events and such outlined. It's up to everyone else to make the proper push. Or I can pick on my own, no biggie! No pressure on anyone! *puts all the pressure on YOU specifically mwahaha?***

 **Okay, enough of that. Please, enjoy this new chapter! - Yours truly, this moronic author.)**

* * *

"What gives?" Neptune complained, "Of all the obstacles to be put in our path, I had to be postponed on account of rain? I call foul ball! Someone get my manager out there to argue with the umpire! This delay of game will not stand! We haven't even gone into a seventh-inning stretch yet!"

"Please stop talking about baseball," Blanc muttered, "This isn't a game we're dealing with here."

"I disagree!" Neptune said with a finger raised, "Besides, even without breaking the fourth wall, I suspect some sort of foul play at work here! That rain cycle was just way too convenient!"

"I agree with Nep," IF said, as she tried to dry her coat, wringing the sleeves to get some water out, "Not only was it rather sudden and violent, but it certainly was pushing us away from Lowee."

Thomas was turned away from the group as he sat behind a large rock, trying to wring out some water from his hoodie, "Rather odd for the weather to be that specific at this point in time, isn't it?"

Neptune nodded, "Right! That can only mean one thing!" She paused, then concluded with dramatic effect, "Nature itself is rebelling against Gamindustri!"

"Or it could be those robots that are doing this," IF said, "Especially after that fight with that elemental robot."

"Oh! Right," Neptune blinked, "That's also a possibility. Or... okay, it's the most likely possibility."

Nepgear shook her head, as she brought her N-Gear out to check on it, before making a call, "I should check with Histoire. Maybe she has learned something about this pattern."

After about three or so beeps, the call is picked up, and Histoire's voice could be heard over the speakers, "Oh? Nepgear? I am pleased to see you once more; however, I am not certain why you would be calling me. Did something come up?"

"Yes," Nepgear replied, "We seem to have hit some sort of strange weather on the way to Lowee. It has pushed us away from Iris Field with heavy winds and torrential rain."

"Strange weather?" Histoire was a bit perplexed, "Most peculiar. Let me check from my end to see what I can do." There is some minor background noise as Histoire checks her contacts, "Oh my! Have you opened the barriers to Lowee and the nearby western cities?"

"I believe so," Nepgear looked in the distance between the north and south, "We might be able to get into Sim City or Randome City."

"Hold a moment, please," Histoire checked some other things in the background, "According to what I can gather so far, I can connect with those two cities, but just barely. Lowee is out of reach, even though the firewall barrier shouldn't be an issue there. Odd. Let me check the weather report."

There was an odd silence as Nepgear wasn't sure how to deal with this. Neptune took the moment to hum a waiting song, even though she was rather off-key with it. Some television static and random noises later, Histoire spoke, "This is indeed strange. Two major weather patterns have collided have one another at Iris Field just recently. Both Sim City and Randome City are reporting strange weather growing in their cities. Sim City is reporting high gusts of wind, while Randome City is reporting heavy rain. Since then, the weather has converged into a powerful storm in Iris Field, and blocking communications with Lowee."

"Any idea what could be causing these weather patterns? It does not appear to be naturally occurring," Nepgear asked.

There is a brief pause as Histoire was still checking something, "I can only make conjecture, though I am certain this is not natural. For now, I highly suggest you head to those cities first and speak with the Guilds there. They currently have little information but I believe you may be able to find the origin of these patterns."

"We'll get right on that, Histoire," Nepgear nodded, "Thank you for helping us out!"

"O-of course I would help you out!" Histoire stammered, "The fate of Gamindustri rests on our shoulders! Anything I can offer to assist, I will offer!" She then ahemed, "You are welcome, Nepgear."

"Uh, no problem, Histoire!" Nepgear smiled weakly, "We'll contact you if anything else happens. Nepgear over and out!" Nepgear made a silly salute with a free hand before disconnecting the call.

"Tsun-Histy is strange Histy," Neptune observed, "But I guess that means we have two places to go before getting to Lowee. Hopefully?"

"So, how are we going to do this?" Thomas asked, as he put his hoodie back on after drying it a little more.

"We could split our party again in two," IF suggested, "Hopefully we can deal with both cities at once."

"I agree," Blanc replied, "Perhaps we should-"

"If we're going to split the party again," Neptune interrupted, "Then I shall decide the parties this time!"

"Neptune," Nepgear blinked, "Why do you want to name the parties so badly?"

"Because Miss Self-Appointed Lead Strategist Blanc did it last time, so it's my turn!" Neptune argued, "As the leader of this group, my word should carry some weight around here!"

"Speaking of self-appointed," Blanc muttered, "Alright, Neptune. Do you actually have some groups in mind for these tasks?"

"Uh, of course I do!" Neptune caught herself a little late, but kept her bravado, "Allow me to choose the teams for today's match!"

"We're playing a game now?" Plutia seemed puzzled, but Neptune ignored her.

"Anyway! For Sim City, I will go with myself, Nep Junior, Plutie, and Blanny! Uzume, you, Tommy, Iffy, and Compa head for Randome City!" Neptune so commanded, with all the enthusiasm of a young team captain.

Uzume was the first to react, apparently not minding at all the order of the groups, "Alright, Nepsy! Just leave the group to me! We'll stop that crazy rain!"

"Hold on a moment," Blanc objected, eyeing Neptune, "Neptune, might I ask why you chose those teams?"

"You may!" Neptune smiled goofily, before Blanc just stared at her. After a beat, Neptune answered, "Well, if you were going to ask, I might as well answer. I figured, since Sim City is apparently dealing with high winds, perhaps those of us who could transform and fly against the wind, even just a little bit, will be more useful there. Since the humans can't fly, they should head to Randome City to deal with the rain."

Blanc frowned a bit, "Sound reasoning." Neptune grinned. "However," Blanc continued, "I do not understand why you specifically chose Uzume over someone like myself to join with Tom and the others."

Neptune kept that grin, but decided to avoid teasing Blanc, "Well, since you wondered. A-hem! You are more familiar with Lowee than myself, Nep Junior, or Plutie, correct?"

"Well," Blanc grimaced, "That is correct."

"Exactly! We need someone who's more familiar with Lowee to help us find the source of those high winds," Neptune nodded, "That means you Blanny. Because we have eight people with us, splitting the party into groups of four is still important! I thought, since Uzume has fought the most with Tommy so far, and IF and Compa are a natural team, that such a group would be good in Randome City. Would you not agree, Blannnnc?" Neptune stretched out Blanc's name to subtly tease her.

Blanc tched, "You really thought this out, didn't you?" There was a tinge of irritance in her voice, though she did her best not to lose her temper.

Uzume shrugged, "Seems good to me, really!"

Blanc was about to object, before IF put on her coat, "Yeah, I think this will do. Nepgear, please keep in touch while you and the others make their way to Sim City."

"Of course!" Nepgear smiled softly, and said, "Be careful out there, okay?"

IF nodded, "You too, Nepgear. Make sure the others come back in one piece, too. We're counting on you."

"S-s-sure! No pressure!" Nepgear said with a visible sweatdrop, as Blanc looked defeated.

"Nice job, Neppy!" Plutia patted her friend on the back, "Let's go save the city!"

"Let's get to it! Come on Plutie! To Sim City! Land of... er, whatever it has!" Neptune couldn't be bothered to recall what it had, as she and Plutie were quick to move north.

"Come on, Lady Blanc," Nepgear tried to snap Blanc out of it, "We got to keep up with Neptune and Plutia if we want this mission to succeed."

"Oh? R-r-right," Blanc bowed her head, and proceeded to follow Nepgear, glancing back at the other party one more time before refocusing.

* * *

 **Party changed: Uzume, Thomas, IF, Compa**

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **IF's icon appears, stating: "First mud, now rain. I did not expect this in Lowee."**

* * *

Compa reached into her inventory, and pulled out a couple of new rubber boots for the group to wear, "I wasn't expecting to use so many of these when I brought them, but I am glad I did."

"I should've bought a rain jacket instead of the winter supplies," Thomas muttered as he finally turned from the rock he was behind to meet with the remaining girls, "But, I am glad one of us was prepared for something like this."

"Hehe, I guess I just lucked out somehow," Compa admitted, "So here, Uzume, Tom-Tom, have some pair of boots for the trip. If it's going to rain, we'll need these."

Uzume blinked at the boots she was given, but didn't complain as she tried to fit them on, "Shouldn't we also have umbrellas for the rain?"

Compa nodded, as Thomas found some men's sized boots for himself, "Yes. Hold on, let me check if I got an extra spare."

Both IF and Thomas checked their inventories, somehow managing to find some umbrellas for themselves. Uzume tilted her head as Compa found one for herself, although she was still checking for another. Uzume sweatdropped a bit, and said, "I feel like I'm the odd one out here, somehow."

Compa paused, then tossed the umbrella over towards Uzume, "Here! Take this!"

Uzume blinked, "But you-"

Compa simply smiled, pulling out another umbrella from her inventory, "I got this."

Thomas raised an eyebrow, "Worried one of us would have to share?" He said as he checked his umbrella, opening and closing it.

"I guess I was," Uzume muttered, before she too checked the umbrella to see if it worked, "So, any of you familiar with Randome City?"

"Not that much, honestly," Thomas admitted, "I sometimes stopped by the hotel to rest, but otherwise, I don't really know that much of the city."

"I remember a couple of stores there, but for the most part, I don't know a whole lot," IF said as she tried to recall.

"I know a couple of stores too," Compa said, "I think I sometimes see Lady Blanc look for some books over there. Or was it Lady Vert? I know that there are bookstores, at the very least."

Uzume smiled a bit, "I am sure we won't have time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. Do you three at least know where the Guild there would be?"

IF nodded, "Yeah, it shouldn't be too far away from the entrance. Hopefully they can provide more precise information."

Uzume pumped her fist, "Alright! If that's the gameplan, let's go! Operation Rainbreaker is officially underway!"

"Does we really need an operation name?" Thomas murmured.

"Humor her," IF said, "We need her to be this excited for when we get into a fight against monsters."

Thomas nodded slowly, "I see your point."

"I can still hear you, you know!" Uzume pouted.

* * *

The four walked alongside each other, with none of them really going into the back row. They sorted their inventories so to keep the umbrella at the top of the list, in case they needed to bring them out when needed. They moved south, not too deep within Iris Field so they wouldn't hit the convergence of the hostile weather patterns.

There was an awkward silence over the group for a time, as IF was checking with her cellphone to see if anything's come up. While Compa watched her friend fiddle with the phone, Uzume turned her eyes over to Thomas, who was going back into thought, rubbing his chin.

"Tomsy?" Uzume quietly spoke out, not sure if she really wanted to interrupt him. After a beat, Uzume looked away, certain that Thomas wasn't paying attention.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Uzume?" Thomas slowly reacted, taking his hand off his chin and turning his head over. Realizing he was rather slow, he added, "M-my apologies. I was just thinking to myself again."

"I-it's alright. I wasn't really sure if you heard me, anyway," Uzume muttered, before coughing and putting on her best face, "I wanted to check how you're holding up so far. Think you can handle all this?"

"I... I don't know," Thomas said, his eyes turned downward, "I was feeling more confident when the party was growing. Others more capable were coming in. However, the fact we've been splitting our party up in two, so soon after the last time," He took a deep breath, "I'm still feeling a little uneasy about all this."

Uzume sighed a bit, "Still a little down on yourself, huh?"

Thomas shook his head, "More frightened by having to face things with a smaller gr-"

Uzume clasped a hand onto his shoulder, eyeing him, "Don't worry. Even if we're not all here, we still have your back. Besides, I did say I was going to help you out through all this, right?"

"Y-you're right," Thomas winced, glancing down, "I should not let my fears grip me so."

"There's nothing wrong with being a little scared," Uzume said, as she relaxed the grip on his shoulder, "Just don't overthink things. Me, IF, Compa, we're all good at this. Just keep by us and we'll do great, alright?"

Thomas slowly nodded, glancing back up, "Thanks. Again." He smiled wryly, "There's no way I'll be able to repay my debt to all of you at this rate."

"There's no need to rush on that front," Uzume grinned, "I'm just starting, after all."

"Right," Thomas said, "We only met just recently, after all."

"Yeah! Give me some time to impress you with my skills!" Uzume laughed, "I may be an older CPU, but there's still plenty I have to show before this is all done!"

"Okay, just, don't push yourself too hard, alright?" Thomas asked, as he glanced over at Uzume still holding his shoulder.

Uzume realized this, but played it off, sliding her hand off and stretching her arms, "Man, you worry too much!"

Thomas murmured, "It can't be helped, I suppose."

Uzume hummed softly, as she closed her eyes to think, the two still managing a steady walking pace with the others. "Tomsy?" She asked once more.

"Um, yes, Uzume?"

"I heard a little about you during this journey so far. How you started out, how you met the others," Uzume said as she looked ahead in the distance, seeing grey clouds, "But, you haven't asked anything about me since founding out that I'm a CPU."

Thomas paused, "Yeah. I haven't really asked anything new since then."

"Does that not bother you?" Uzume asked, "You only knew a bit from what Gary told you back in Narita, and maybe a little from some others. Do you not wish to know anything about who I am? Who I was? What happened?"

Thomas took a deep breath, and stopped walking, saying bluntly, "I do. I very much would like to know about Orange Heart. I would like to know of the CPU from yesteryear brought back from out of the blue. Most of all, I wish to know about you, Uzume. And this time I spent on this adventure, I am glad to have been travelling with you."

Uzume blinked, turning to face Thomas, as the other two humans paused, wondering what was going on.

"I did not ask because," Thomas winced, "I was worried about bringing up your past."

"O-oh?" Uzume tilted her head.

"Whatever happened, the events around your revival also occurred during a major crisis in Gamindustri," Thomas said as he recalled from memory, "Whether I am right or wrong to assume they might revolve around those events, I did not wish to bring up the topic. At least, until you were comfortable talking about it."

Uzume paused to think about it, as Thomas laughed nervously, "Plus, it would be the first time I would ask about a CPU's backstory. It's not something I would think about..."

Uzume said quietly, "I see. You do have a point. Although, are you sure you can be so trusting, not knowing who I am?"

Thomas blinked, "Well, that's a bit odd saying that now, isn't it? After assuring me?"

Uzume winced, as she realized her mistake, "Oh... eheh, right!" She laughed, "Forget about it, then! I'll be sure to tell you more about my past another time! A-a-anyway, sorry girls! Let's keep up the pace!"

The CPU whistled not-so-innocently as she walked briskly ahead, leaving a confused Thomas behind.

"Is there something I should know about her?" Thomas looked to IF and Compa, and gestured with a thumb in her direction.

"Well-"

Compa was about to say anything, before IF shook her head, "Oh no, I'm not saying anything. You'll just have to wait until she wishes to bring it up."

"So you do know about her past?" Thomas blinked.

"We saw some of it as part of a slideshow!" Compa said, as IF slapped her forehead.

"She had a slideshow?" Thomas was a little puzzled, picturing it as though Uzume showed her past like it was an old vacation.

"Yep! It was really touching! Me, Iffy, the CPUs, and Umio all got to see it unfold!" Compa continued, much to IF's chargin.

"Oh..." Thomas said as he now pictured a group of people forced to watch Uzume's slideshow, before there was something else in the picture he wasn't sure of, "Wait, who's Umio?"

"He's a-"

Compa was going to continue before IF pulled Compa with her, "That's enough of that, Compa. Come on, Thomas, let's hurry it up before we lose sight of Uzume."

"Oh sure, leave me hanging," Thomas complained, as he tried to follow, "Can't you at least tell me who Umio is?"

"You would just be even more confused even if I told you," IF said, "Trust me, just wait until she's ready."

"I-I guess?" Thomas said incredulously, "But all this does is make me more curious!"

Unfortunately for him, neither of the three were willing to divulge any other information.

* * *

After some searching, the group managed to find the entrance to the Guild, thanks in part to a bright neon sign with **"THE GUILD"** in big letters placed above the door. How convenient! In fairness, the visibility was pretty low as it was, so even they could've missed it with the bright lights. Still, they managed, and all four went into the buildings, putting away their umbrellas and setting aside their boots as they entered the lobby.

"Huh? Someone's come down to the Guild with this weather?" The Guild Woman looked puzzled briefly when the group came in, before recognizing someone, "Oh! IF! I just finished talking with Histoire. I'm amazed we can get in contact with anyone, but at least we barely are able to hear from Planeptune."

IF moved up to the counter where the woman was at, "Hello. Was that big bright sign your idea?"

"In part," the woman said, "Ever since it's been raining like this, we can barely see much outside. In addition, our streets have been flooded in some areas. Some of us have been trying to dig paths away for the excess water to flow off, but it's not going so well."

"Any idea what could be causing this?" IF asked, as the others slowly made their way over to listen.

"I believe we may have a lead," the woman nodded, "A young member of our Guild found some clue while playing around in the rain. At first, we at the Guild weren't really sure if what he said was true."

"What changed your mind?" Compa asked, "Is the little guy alright?"

"Oh?" The woman looked to Compa, "I'm sorry that I just rushed to talking to IF. I'm the local Guild officer here."

"Hello!" Compa smiled, "I am Compa, a nurse from Planeptune and Iffy's best friend!"

"Uzume Tennouboshi!" Uzume struck a heroic pose as she introduced herself, "Also known as CPU Orange Heart, here to help out Gamindustri once more!"

Blinking at Uzume's introduction, Thomas hesitated, before he turned to the woman, "H-hello, miss. I am from the Azure Coast. My name is Thomas A-"

"Oh wow! You're Orange Heart?" The Guild Woman looked excited, ignoring Thomas' intro, much to his dismay, "It is a real pleasure to see you in the flesh! My old mother told me much about you, and was excited to hear about your return once more."

Uzume beamed happily, "Really? That's really cool! I can't believe there were people knowing of me even in Lowee territory."

"Well, my mother's from Planeptune, actually," the woman corrected, "I was born and raised in Lowee, but hearing about another CPU is always exciting. And a really pretty one too!"

Uzume's cheeks reddened, "I don't really need to be flattered, but thanks!"

Thomas smiled softly, as IF interrupted, "I'm sorry to interupt, miss, but time may be of the essence here. About the young Guild member..."

"Oh, sorry!" The Guild Woman bowed her head, "I got carried away. Yes, about the young man. Well, he's really a kid, but there's a lot of children who look up to him in this city. He's a sort of young adventuring type, carrying around a wooden sword and shield. Although I think I have seen him with an actual sword... I should speak with his parents about that. I'm sidetracking myself again. Focus! In any case, he's been down in what he calls a dungeon, looking for low-level monsters to defeat and collect materials. He recently went there again to see if he could find anything new, and he said he found something very different from the usual, and fled. He took a photo. Let me get a printed copy of it."

The Guild Woman went to the back to check with the printer, taking out an already-printed sheet. She came back and handed it to IF, "Tell me if this helps at all with what you're looking for."

IF looked over the photo, which was pretty dark, but it certainly was a location IF knew of, and it had a familiar-looking figure walking away, "Say, Compa, this looks familiar, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, Iffy," Compa blinked at the photo, giving it a good look, "It looks like those mister robots that we've been fighting ever since that firewall came down."

"Right," IF said, before looking back to the Guild Woman, "I take it Histoire told you about the robots that were attacking Planeptune?"

The woman nodded, "Yes. Like I said, at first, it was hard to believe him, but this photo might hold a clue to where they are. Perhaps you'll find whatever's causing this rain there."

IF handed the photo to Thomas, "Tell me, Thomas. Do you have an idea where this photo could be? It shouldn't be too hard to figure out."

Thomas winced, looking at the damp, dark tunnels that this photo was taken in. He then sighed, "Unfortunately, I have a feeling I do. Looks like we're heading there to start our search." He gave the photo back to IF, who returned it to the Guild Woman.

"We'll start off right away," IF stated, "Just keep things safe up here until we get back, hopefully with this rain gone."

"Good luck, IF! And all of you as well!" The Guild Woman bowed once more as the group turned to get their boots, readying to leave again.

Uzume still held a blush as she put on the boots, and Thomas chuckled, "You're still a little red, by the way."

"Sh-shut up," Uzume meekly complained, "I'm just not used to the compliment, alright? Usually I hear cute or cool, and while I prefer cool, it's a little odd to be called outright pretty."

"I don't see how that should be something odd for you, Uzume," Thomas said as he grabbed his umbrella, "You are an awfully pretty CPU. I thought you would be used to that compliment."

"Guh~!" Uzume did another take, "You teasing me now?"

"Hardly," Thomas remarked, "But oh well. Let's just get back to the task here." He winced, "I'm not looking forward to visiting that location, but..." He shook his head, and looked to the others, "Meet the rest of you outside." He said, opening his umbrella just as he exited, closing the door behind him.

Uzume just shook her head at Thomas heading out, but it was both IF and Compa that looked the most shocked.

"Did you hear what he just said?" IF said, surprised.

"I heard him loud and clear," Compa said with a blank stare, "I can't believe it. So casually too."

"It's not that much of a big deal," Uzume murmured, "He's either teasing or being a terrible flirt. Either way, w-whatever."

"Iffy, can we please tell her about this," Compa pleaded, "Pleeeeease?"

"Ah, okay, we should tell her," IF crossed her arms, finally after pushing her feet into the boots.

"Tell me what, exactly?" Uzume asked.

"You tell her, Iffy," Compa elbowed IF a little.

"What? Oh, fine!" IF sighed, before looking at Uzume, "In all our time knowing Thomas, or at least seen him in any conversation with any of us or the CPUs, he has not once referred to any of us as 'pretty'."

"Oh?" Uzume blinked.

"Yeah, the most he'll say is when he thinks what we're doing is 'cute', but never really talked about physical appearance. He's kinda awkward as is, so this is really odd for us to hear," IF said as she scratched her head.

"Maybe it's a subconscious thing?" Compa asked, "He does seem comfortable around you the most, Uzume. About as much as Nep-Nep or Ge-Ge."

"Whatever the case," IF shrugged, "If he does anything bad, Uzume, let us know. We'll step in to back you up."

"Yeah!" Compa nodded, "We girls gotta stick together, after all!"

"A-alright, I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Ifsy, Compsy," she smiled, "I'm sure there won't be a need, though. Let's get to taking down those robots."

IF and Compa nodded, and soon they left, opening their umbrellas as they walked into the rain to meet with Thomas outside.

Uzume muttered as she was in thought, "He doesn't seem like that kind of guy... is he?"

What kind of guy is Thomas? Is he really building up a harem under our very noses? Is he into that? Where is the party going? Can they stop the rain? Has Neptune made any progress on her front? Can they stop the winds? Find out more about this, maybe, next time!


	19. ACT II: There's Always One Level

**Thomas' Chriper icon appeared on screen, stating: "Why do we have to go here to defeat some robots?"**

* * *

When we last left off the group of four in Randome City, they were heading off on a clue. A photo some kid gave the Guild shed some light on where they could find whatever's causing the rain. The photo had shown a robot similar to the designs that have been fighting our heroes ever since the firewall dropped. It was possible, however small the chance could be, that the robots were in there up to something. Unfortunately, for Thomas and the others, they recognized the location of where they could be.

There were damp, dark tunnels, with rather smelly water flowing along the center. The tunnels were fairly narrow, but large enough to fit the likes of an adventuring party so not to be too cramped. There were a couple of lights here and there, but for the most part, it was rather dark inside.

Thomas coughed a little and tried very hard not to sniff anything, "Ahhh, great. The sewers. The bane of every gamer's adventure."

"On the plus side," IF cringed as she got a bit of a whiff of the bad smell, "We don't have to use our umbrellas here. The rain hasn't flooded this area yet, either."

"Which means we have some time in here before the robots leave with whatever's causing this rain," Thomas pointed ahead, "We must find it quickly, and destroy it."

"Alright!" Uzume cracked her knuckles as she moved up front, "This is the kind of plan I can handle! Let's move out!"

The group moved into the sewers, everyone's favorite level in games! I dunno what Thomas was talking about there! Naturally, the group tried not to walk in the water as they sludged through the small tunnels, hoping to catch sight of any of the robots.

They did encounter more monsters than they wanted to, however. This was a location where one young Guild member went in to practice fighting and do some dungeon crawling, after all. Many of the monsters were somehow scaled to the party's current levels, and included some smaller but familiar-looking Rats, Green Dogoos, and for some reason, floating Sharks.

As they were fighting monsters, the group naturally leveled up a few times. Thomas noticed his stats were slowly increasing with each new level. However, he found one stat increasing more than most, as his AGI stat was growing substantially. He was still weaker than pretty much every party member, but he was starting to catch up to most in terms of speed. He thought while this was great, he wished that he had this kind of stat when he was trying to avoid monsters, rather than while in fighting engagements.

This even started to present another dilemma to him, as the group fought a number of Rats. A few times, as Uzume or IF would inflict great damage to the Rats, some would decide to flee the battle. Initially, there was not much else to that. However, Thomas could tell when a Rat was getting ready to flee, but hesitated to strike. Following another battle where a Rat fled, Thomas decided to bring the matter up.

"Uh, IF?" Thomas asked, "If one of those Rats has a chance to flee again, and I have an opportunity to strike, should I take it?"

"I'd say so," IF answered simply, "After all, these things attacked us, and would attack any other adventurer that it would come across."

"But Iffy," Compa dove into the conversation, "What if the Mister Rat had a change of heart? Perhaps after the beating we gave it, it decided to change its ways, and fled so that it can start a new and better life?"

"You don't know what it's thinking, first off," IF countered, "For all we know, it could come back with more monsters to fight us. Is that a risk you should be willing to take?"

Uzume nodded slowly, "Personally, I'd just take the experience points when I can get it. But, I can understand the point made by Compa, and by IF. It's hard to tell what a monster is thinking."

"I guess what we're trying to say," IF said, "Is unless we specifically say so, just do what you think is best in the situation. If you want to defeat it, go ahead. If not, you can use that turn to help us out some other way."

Thomas grimaced, "A-alright. I'll keep all this in mind." He didn't really have an idea of how he would deal with this. He glanced down at his scabbard, then took another deep breath before rejoining the party's search.

In the next battle, they were fighting a group of Rats once more, and Thomas remained behind the others as they fought the enemy monsters. After IF dealt with a few of the Rats with a Soul Combination, one of the other Rats was ready to flee, when the turn once again fell to Thomas. In that moment, Thomas debated on what to do, before he simply eyed the ready-to-flee Rat, and decided to use some SP Charger instead to help Uzume recover some SP. The Rat noticed Thomas holding back, but fled all the same, ending the battle.

"I hope I will not regret this later," Thomas muttered to himself as he made his decision. He would focus more on the search, while the others would deal more with the monsters.

The battles calmed down in intensity as they went further into the sewers, making the group feel a little more anxious.

"Things have calmed a little," IF winced, "And yet I still have this sense of foreboding."

Uzume hummed softly, before raising a cup to her ear, "Do you hear anything?"

The group stopped in their tracks, taking the time to listen to their surroundings. Other than the sound of the flowing water, and the muffled rain above ground, they didn't really hear anything else. A few seconds later, Uzume's eyes widened, as the group heard a few sounds of movement in the water.

"It's from that way," Uzume pointed off in the distance to one of the many tunnel passages, whispering, "Let's check it out."

The four slowly made their way through the tunnel, keeping to the sides while trying to be sneaky. The tunnel snaked around a corner, and just as they entered the turn, Uzume could spot something in the distance.

"There it is! And it has some buddies too," Uzume grinned as she pulled on her gloves, readying herself.

"Okay, we've found 'em," Thomas murmured, "If we follow them, they could lead us to whatever's controlling the-"

"Not this time," Uzume overruled, "I'm going in! I'll beat some sense into these things."

"Uzume," IF warned, "Don't go rushing far ahead. We don't know what's around the corner."

"Can't hear you, busy jumping in," Uzume said before bursting ahead of the group, chasing the startled robots around the corner.

"I guess she was itching for a fight," Thomas winced.

"She tends to get that way," Compa said as she pulled out her giant needle, "We should follow soon before-"

The sounds of laser fire echoing the tunnel preceded Uzume's cry of **"Ohcrapthere'sabunchofthemandtheyallgotlasers!"**

"Into the fire we go," IF grumbled, pulling her katars out.

"Yay..." Thomas could hardly contain his excitement.

Sure enough, the three humans found the tunnel extending into a bigger arena-style area, where it was clear the turn led into an intersection of tunnels. The robots had congregated around the area, seeming to be guarding each entryway. Uzume decided it was best to charge right in there, and face the laser-shooting robots, all at once.

"Uzume made a terrible mistake! Uzume totally, like, doesn't want to be here right now!" Uzume panicked and jumped around frantically avoiding laser fire.

With the focus on Uzume, the robots have not noticed the others just yet. With the element of surprise, the three others leaped at any nearby robots to slash at them. The sudden attack, including Uzume's entrance, startled the robots, which resulted in a drop in accuracy. Yes, robots could be startled. These ones were!

Despite this, and some of the robots being brought down, Uzume still had to dodge plenty of laser fire. Eventually, after a moment where she did the splits to dodge a high shot, she got sick of the dodging, and transformed, "Uzume's gonna knock you all out!"

The remaining robots fell back, realizing that a CPU was in their midst, and seemed to be calling for something, given the odd beeps and boops they emitted. A frustrated and angry Uzume charged again at the group, this time using her megaphone to yell across the tunnel the robots fled into. The area shook a little with the attack, but it thankfully didn't cause a collapse of the tunnels. It, did, however, destroyed plenty of the remaining robots.

"Yeah! Witness the super power of a CPU!" Orange Heart beamed happily, before she was once again assailed by laser fire, **"Aaahmorelasersgetaway!"** She flew back to where the others were, desperately flying about in the limited space the arena provided as she was dodging fire.

Reinforced by more laser-toting robots, the party soon encountered another problem, as a robotic rover, small enough to fit in the tunnels, rode in on its six wheels. It had plenty of exposed electrical wire, what looked like large sheet metal panels up top, and a long crane with a laser pointer, aiming over in the group's direction.

"What in Gamindustri is that?" Thomas asked, not expecting a clear answer but he wanted to ask anyway.

Before the others could answer, a few odd beeps and boops from the rover emit, and the laser pointer arced up to the ceiling. Within moments, the ceiling was covered in a misty fog, and the group could feel droplets falling on their skin.

"Whatever it is, it's causing rain in here," Compa stated.

"Look like we found our weather machine," IF exclaimed, "But we need to take it out quickly. The water level is starting to rise." Sure enough, the small trickling of water in the center of the arena was starting to grow.

"Uzume will take care of the meanie robot!" Orange Heart raised her megaphone and dashed at the rover, dodging the lasers of the few robots still lingering around, and attacked with her cutesy voice of death, **"Yyyaaaaaaaaah!"**

The rover shook under the shockwaves created by the megaphone, but it did not seem to take much in the way of damage. Instead, the machine's crane arced its pointer, and fired electric bolts at Uzume.

 **"Eep!"** Uzume had to deal with both lasers and electric bolts. She frantically flew around, doing her best to dodge or guard against the constant fire.

"We gotta help Uzume!" Thomas exclaimed, as he rushed to attack the robots, trying to bring down the amount of fire on the CPU. However, as he charged in, the crane arced its pointer down on the water, firing an electric bolt. Thomas' eyes widened, and he quickly retreated to the more dry sides of the arena.

The sewer water, filled with who knows what, was easily affected by the electricity, and the three humans were wise to flee away to the sides. However, the rain falling only made the water continue to grow, making it harder for the humans to stay out of the electrified water for long. Scrambling, both IF and Thomas began clinging to the sides of the area, trying to climb up. Compa leaped onto IF's back, who struggled to keep them up.

"This is bad," IF murmured, "We're getting cornered, and the robots are focusing on Uzume."

"Is there anything we could do?" Compa said in a panic, not wanting to touch the water, as the rover occasionally kept shooting at the water. The electric current was not affecting the rover or the other robots, so they were free to keep Uzume panicking with their constant fire.

Just as it looked like the party was completely stuck, a pause in the rover's fire allowed the water to cool behind the robots. It was then, from the shadows, that a group of Rats leaped onto the rover, and some of the nearby robots, attacking and nibbling on the open wires. Although the Rats would face some damage, as nibbling on open wires is not a generally good idea, it was enough of a distraction to have the humans come back down from the sides.

"The Mister Rats are helping!" Compa exclaimed, "This is our chance!"

"U-uh, right!" Thomas wasn't really sure of the turn of events, but the pause allowed them all to take the offensive. The angry Orange Heart, relieved from the amount of fire, charged ahead, pushing through a group of bots, slamming them into the side with her body, then using her megaphone to make sure they stay down. Compa attacked some of the remaining robots using her Love Heart SP skill, while IF and Thomas charged at the rover's crane, using their blades to slice at it.

With the remaining robots destroyed, the crane dismantled, and the rain dissipating thanks to the Rats messing with the rover, Orange Heart was ready to unleash some of that pent-up rage.

"Uzume is done with this exercise!" Orange Heart stood in front of the rover, as the Rats took this as their cue to move away, "For having to put Uzume through that unnecessary dance session, for messing with Uzume's friends, for messing with the home of these monsters, for flooding the city, and nearly flooding this place with icky poo water, Uzume will make you pay!"

The three humans could only sweatdrop at the cute attempt at badassery, as Uzume launched her Special Dream Combo, attacking with a multitude of combos, using both her punching and megaphone skills to blare out considerable damage. **"Blow away!"** Uzume yelled out as her megaphone was amplified by the appearance of speakers to her sides. Finally, **"Spi-ral Dream!"** Uzume finished off the rover by punching right through it, causing a neat little explosion.

"W-we did it?" Thomas asked, as time felt like it stood still once the dust finally laid down. The entire party was heavily breathing, tired after what had happened.

The water level inside the arena shrank down to normal, with the rain no longer being an issue. Still, the party was more concerned about the remaining Rats, and what they would do next. Even though the party won, it was the Rats who seized the moment and turned the tide.

After a bit of a staredown between the two groups, the Rats turned and fled through the tunnels, back into the shadows.

"I guess they did they wanted to do," IF said quietly.

"The robots were flooding the sewers," Thomas said in between catching breaths, "They probably wanted them gone as much as we did."

"We should probably leave now," IF said, "I don't know how long their goodwill will last."

"Y-yeah," Thomas winced, "I'd love to leave the sewer a-s-a-p."

"Blech, samesies!" Orange Heart said as she caught a whiff of the awful smell, waving her hand a lot in front of her face to try and shoo away the scent.

* * *

 **Party changed: Neptune, Nepgear, Plutia, Blanc**

 **Neptune's icon appeared, saying quite simply:** **"Have no fear! Neptune is here!"**

* * *

For the initial trip north, things were relatively smooth for Neptune and her party, as they made sure to stay away from the weather pattern affecting Iris Field. This had given the party a bit of a reprieve, with Neptune in particular enjoying the company. Traveling with her friends on an adventure has always been something Neptune would prefer over working on paperwork. Still, she can't be too thrilled about much of Gamindustri being under some kind of quarantine.

There were a couple of things bugging the main character of the franchise. Having to split the party up again was not something she really wanted, but given how nature was working against them, this was probably the quickest way to deal with it. She thought about how the others would fare, and hope they will manage to pull through. She figured that they would be strong enough to deal with it. Still, not being there to assist would bother her.

She could tell from her colleagues that they were at least thinking about it at least once. Nepgear was easy to read, since she is her sister, after all, and her expressions were quick to nail down. Plutia was difficult to read, given that she usually had that spaced-out look of hers for the most part when not transformed. However, Neptune knew her friend plenty to know that 'Plutie' would have some concern. As for Blanc...

Blanc was an interesting matter for Neptune. She knew that Blanc showed some emotion, however brief, with Thomas during their meeting, before she clonked him with a hammer and chased after the spying Neptune. She deduced, using her self-proclaimed grand deducing skills, that Blanc has some bit of attachment to the former Planeptune worker. Neptune didn't seem to mind that. After all, it showed for a moment a side of Blanc that Neptune kinda liked to see. Plus, it was just funny to tease Blanc about it afterwards, even if Neptune was threatened as per usual.

Still, Neptune wasn't too sure of how Blanc's current feelings now. She clearly wasn't too enthused of having to travel with them, even if it was to help out Lowee in the long-run. Maybe it had something to do with her? About how she teased Blanc and get on her nerves enough that she kinda didn't want to be around her? No, that's crazy talk. This is Neptune! Neptune's the one who brings everyone together! ... Wait...

Something clicked in Neptune's mind, as her train of thought railroaded past everything else, and she blurted out, "By Joust, I think I got it!"

The sudden declaration from Neptune startled both Nepgear and Blanc, who jumped back a bit in surprise. Plutia, on the other hand, just looked on, rather amused by Neptune's expression.

Neptune clenched a fist, and clapped it with her other hand, "So, that's the game, Tommy, hmm? When we last met, you were but a student. Now you wish to be the master!"

Nepgear blinked, "Nep...tune?"

Neptune laughed, "Hahaha! It's going to take a lot of effort to unseat this champion! But hey, if you want to play, bring it on!"

Plutia giggled, "Neppy's all excited! I don't know what she's talking about, but it's good to see her motivated!"

"That's right!" Neptune pointed south, "I am the true protagonist around here! If anyone is good at making friends, it's gonna be me!"

Nepgear and Blanc sweatdropped, as Blanc murmured, "Great, she's talking out of her ass again."

Neptune turned to Blanc, putting on a happy smile, "Blanc, we've been friends for a while now, have we?"

"I do not recall us making that kind of commitment," Blanc retorted.

"Oh come now, there is no need to be so down," Neptune tried to assure her, "I know you've been feeling a little grumpy since earlier."

Blanc grimaced, "I don't know why you decided to bring up my feelings into this."

"That's because I want to set the record straight!" Neptune said as she bounced over to Blanc, "I had an ulterior motive in bringing you into my team!"

"You don't say?" Blanc said with a small twitch of one of her eyebrows.

"Yep!" Neptune said, "I did it because I wanted to spend more time with ya!"

"H-huh?" Blanc blinked at the reason given, "What the hell are you going on about?"

"All I'm going to say is that I wanna help you out, Blanc!" Neptune exclaimed, "And, it's been how long since I last visited Lowee?"

"You mean other than last week when you made a fort with Rom out of my books?" Blanc complained.

"That was not a fort," Neptune corrected her, "That was a blockhouse, and it worked very well against the evil Ram army."

Blanc shook a fist at Neptune, "I don't care what the (expletive redacted by the author) you called it!"

"Blanc, the point was that I was helping out with my friends!" Neptune perked up, "And now, it's time to help out another friend! And what better way than teaming up to take down a bunch of jerks who are threatening your very nation?"

"Augh, fine," Blanc grumbled, "You're just lucky I have some robots to destroy."

"That's the spirit, Blanc!" Neptune cheered her on, before thinking, "Though I can't say I'm too fond of the little hidden threat there."

"It was hidden?" Blanc said with a quick stare at Neptune.

"We should probably focus on our task, you two," Nepgear tried to intervene, "The sooner we can solve this problem, the sooner we can all get to Lowee."

"Uh, yeah!" Neptune said, refocusing on the task, "Let's do this all for Blanc! And the twins!"

Blanc just shook her head as Neptune pushed on forward. Nepgear glanced over at Blanc, "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Blanc looked over at Nepgear, and sighed, "Yeah. I guess I'm still rather wound up with all that's gone on so far. Neptune's antics haven't really helped matters."

"Oh, sorry about that," Nepgear apologized, even though it had nothing to do with her, "Neptune's always rather excited when it comes to her friends. Or, who she sees as her friends."

Blanc sighed a bit, "I-It's alright. She and I are f... friendly CPU rivals." She winced, "Great, now I sound like Noire. Damnit."

Nepgear laughed a little, "I am sure you can say friends. Neptune is concerned for you and the others, even if she's acting like this is a competition on making friends against Thomas. I think? I'm not sure what her motif is." She blinked.

Blanc smirked, "Heh, maybe she's jealous?" She suddenly had an idea, "Yeah, he's no longer working for Planeptune, right? Or anyone officially? Ha ha, this is perfect! I'll just try and hire him for Lowee. That'll drive Neptune nuts!"

"I made things worse somehow, didn't I?" Nepgear pouted, "Why can't we all just be friends and not turn it into some weird game?"

"Just you wait, Neptune!" Blanc grinned, holding up a fist, covered by her coat sleeve, "This will be the turning point in our little war. I shall finally gain the upper hand!"

"Should I intervene?" Plutia asked of Nepgear, as she looked at Blanc, "They're not fighting, are they?"

"Uhh, no, they're just being really silly," Nepgear dropped her head, "Just ignore it and hope it'll go away."

"Ooooookay!" Plutia said, "I hope you're right!"

"So do I, Plutia," Nepgear muttered.

* * *

Although the wind picked up a little as they moved north, the party did not experience the same turbulence as they did trying to get through Iris Field. This did not mean they did not have any obstacles on the way to Sim City, however, as they encountered the usual trash monster mobs. The party make-up certainly wasn't too difficult either, as the four had no problem changing roles should the situation demand it.

In the distance, Neptune could finally saw some buildings, as she felt a some gust of wind flow by her. Though she was concerned that the wind would change suddenly against her, it has yet to follow through. Neptune squinted her eyes to get a better look, then turned to Blanc, pointing over, "This is Sim City, right?"

Blanc nodded, looking over, "Yeah, looks like we made it with very little difficulty."

Neptune hummed, as the two were on a hill overlooking the city, "Odd. I was at least expecting the wind to try to turn on us once before we got here, but ah well."

"We'll need to get to the Guild right away," Blanc said, "They'll have an idea of what's happening in the city."

"Okee-dokee!" Neptune nodded, "Sounds like a plan!"

Blanc closed her eyes as she contemplated on matters, before a gust of wind brushed against both her and Neptune. She winced and clenched down on her dress, worried it might blow upwards, but instead she felt her cap slip off and fly off her head.

"My hat!" Blanc exclaimed. However, Neptune was already fast on her feet, jumping up at the hat before it could fly further, and barely grabbing it with the tips of her fingers, "Gotcha!"

"Take that, wind!" Neptune boldly proclaimed, "Your evil plan to rid Blanc of her headwear has been foiled! Ah haaaaaa!" Neptune grinned goofily, before looking at the cap for a second.

"Uh, Neptune?" Blanc blinked, not sure what was going through her mind.

Neptune glanced back at the confused Blanc, "Hmm? Hold on there." She goes over, and puts the cap back on Blanc's head, bringing it down a little so it can be a little more snug, "There we go, back on that cute little head of yours! Hopefully it will stay on this time!"

Blanc snapped out of her dazed state, and looked away, back to the city, "Let's get going."

Neptune tilted her head, "Uh, alright." She wasn't too sure, but she could've sworn Blanc's cheeks were turning a little red.

* * *

The party made their way into Sim City, as the wind picked up. Thankfully for them, it wasn't super strong just yet. Nonetheless, they moved to the side of one building as they looked around. On closer look, they could see a bit of damage here and there. Window glass shards, broken wires, overturned benches, a toppled statue of some generic character... these are but a few things that could be seen. Well, that, and some of the buildings that have fallen over, causing a bigger mess. Hey, is that someone's bathtub over there?

"What a mess," Neptune said of the scene in front of her, "And coming from me, that should say a bit. It feels like no one's bothering to clean up, either."

"It's weird," Nepgear said as she looked more to some of the citizens, "But the people don't seem to be that bothered by it. If they are, they certainly aren't doing anything about it."

"I don't get it," Plutia blinked at the scene of normal citizens walking past some of the messes without so much as a blink, "Is everyone just lazy in this city?"

Blanc sighed, shaking her head at the scene, "I suspected as much. If you three follow me to the Guild, I am sure you'll get your answers there."

Neptune stared incredulously at Blanc, "Wait, do you know why this city's acting blissfully unaware?"

Blanc grumbled, "Just follow me. It'll make s-... actually, no, it won't make any sense, but trust me, you'll understand a little more once we go inside."

What could it possibly mean? Is there a reasonable explanation for the populace's lack of interest? If not, is there a totally stupid one? Why is Sim City so run down? Can our heroines find whatever's causing the high winds? And why is that bathtub still out in the middle of the street? Seriously, that thing is driving me nuts just being there. Can someone please clean this up before we end the chapter? No? Fine.


	20. ACT II: Neptune Rides A Llama

**("A long heat wave, some personal things including a birthday and a sale have left me with less time to work on this... *whistles innocently* But hey, here be another chapter! Enjoy!" - This now-older person uploading on a late night.)**

* * *

Sim City! Home of many, many messes. Neptune's party of herself, Nepgear, Plutia, and Blanc made it to the supposedly beleaguered city to find an unfazed populace and little clue as to what was going on. Blanc seemed to have an idea of what could be the case, as she brought the Planeptunian goddesses with her to the Guild. The Guild, in contrast to the surrounding messes, looked to be in good shape, as the group walked into the small building.

Neptune looked around the lobby they were in, "If not for the strangeness outside, I could swear this is like any other Guild building. No fallen chandeliers or piles of garbage stacked on a hill nearby."

Blanc nodded, "They at least have someone to keep this place clean, at least." She moved towards the counter, looking around, "Um, excuse me? Anyone here? Hello?"

"Oh! Hold on!" The group could hear a young voice call out from the other side of the building, as a girl tried to rush behind the counter to where Blanc was. Unfortunately, she was terrible at putting on the brakes, and tripped over something in the back, falling and crashing down below. The group visibly cringed as the girl could be heard in pain. Plutia, though, seemed mildly amused by the pratfall.

"Tsssh, owowow," The girl quickly jumped up after that meeting with the floor, rubbing her nose, "I should've watched where I was going. Owie."

"Uh, are you alright, miss?" Nepgear blinked as she could see the girl get behind the counter.

"I'm alright! Anyway, welcome to the Guild! I am Dr. Right, pleased to meet you all!" The girl in question looked to be roughly Blanc's height and size, with light skin and long, frizzled green hair tied into a ponytail at the back. Oddly enough, there is a strand of bushy black hair sticking out of her head, set along one side of her face. She had on a red business suit, a white shirt, and a small blue bow tie. She blinked and adjusted her rimmed glasses, which didn't break during her fall somehow, "Sorry about that. I was checking some things in the back. What can I help you with?"

"Hehe, she's a little cutie," Plutia remarked, "Is this a part-time job something you do after school?"

"I assure you, I am quite old enough to make my own decisions!" Dr. Right complained, "I **did** say I am a Doctor, after all!" She harrumphed.

"Ah yes, this trope of the young-looking old lady hasn't been done enough yet," Neptune joked, "But really, we do have something important to talk about."

"I am not that old either!" The girl flustered.

"Ignore that," Blanc commented, feeling a bit of sympathy, "Dr. Right, did you come in contact with Histoire by any chance?"

"Hmm? Oh!" The girl jumped, "You're the goddesses Histoire mentioned would be coming, aren't you?" She squinted at the CPUs briefly to try and recognize them.

"Yes, I a-" Blanc was about to do some introductions when Dr. Right held a hand up.

"I got this!" She cleared her throat, "You must be Lady White Heart, and you two are Ladies Purple Heart and Purple Sister. Is this correct?" While she indicated Blanc correctly, she switched both Neptune and Nepgear in her guesses.

"Oooh, almost got it," Neptune muttered.

Nepgear giggled, "Sorry, but I am Purple Sister and she's Purple Heart. I understand the mix-up though."

Dr. Right winced, "Oh! Well, my apologies. I guess I still need to work on remembering which goddess is which."

Plutia tilted her head at the girl, smiling and politely waiting for some recognition.

"I don't know who you are, though," the girl said of Plutia.

"Aw, boo," Plutia was clearly disappointed.

"It's okay," Neptune assured the both of them, "Dr. Right, this is Plutia, CPU Iris Heart of Ultradimension. Plutie, this is Dr. Right."

"Hello! It's nice to meet you!" Plutia beamed.

"Ah, um, hello," the girl smiled meekly and nodded a greeting, before looking to the group as a whole, "I take it you're here about the high winds. Thankfully, it's been a little quiet of late, but lately we've had more dangerous winds hitting our fair city more often than not."

"Hold on," Neptune butted in, "Before we get into the plot proper, I just need to ask what is up with the city and its people acting bizarrely."

Dr. Right adjusted her glasses, looking like she's struggling to understand, "I do not comprehend. Acting bizarre?"

"We get that there's been damage in the city," Nepgear said, "But we are confused as to why the people don't seem to worry all that much. Or show any interest in cleaning up."

"Hmm? Oh! That," Dr. Right clasped her hands and settled them on the counter as she leaned in, "Well, it's kind of a thing we're used to in Sim City."

"You're used to high winds and damage?" Neptune asked, looking rather perplexed.

"More like they are used to natural disasters," Blanc responded.

"Precisely!" Dr. Right nodded, "You see, Sim City is, of all of Gamindustri, the most prone to any kind of disaster that can befall a city. Things like tornadoes, high winds, floods, fires, blizzards, earthquakes, sinkholes, avalanches, heat waves, landslides, meteor showers, giant Dogoo attacks, anything! You name it, chances are we've had it."

"Giant Dogoo?" Plutia blinked.

"Yes, that happened, I believe two years ago," the girl recalled, "Massive thing, it was. Bigger than the usual big versions. I think it might've been hit by some sort of radiation and grew to immense proportions. It was a really big mess by the end of it. Goo everywhere."

"Ah, radiation," Neptune said, "Is there anything implausible it couldn't do?"

"Yes," Dr. Right coughed, "A-anyway, usually after such an event occurs, we have the fire department and the Guild handle the clean up affair. Unfortunately, the city currently has no mayor to allocate resources to the city's budget. No budget, no one gets paid, no work. Not to mention the fire department buildings were destroyed in the last disaster. Really, we don't have anyone to clean up. I'm basically the only one working here, and I only do this as volunteer work, and to be the mayor's assistant... whenever we have one, that is."

"Can't you just elect or appoint a mayor? Also, why wait for a mayor when you guys can just clean up?" Nepgear asked, confused.

Dr. Right wells, "It's been a Sim City tradition for over 100 years! This city is one of the oldest cities in all of Gamindustri! Our tradition dictates that we wait until someone applies to be the mayor of the city."

"Applies?" Neptune blinked, "You mean like any person can just go up with a resume to become the mayor, no questions asked?"

"Resume not even required!" Dr. Right beams, "Once that person becomes mayor, that person stays mayor for life, or until the populace gets sick of that person and tosses him or her out... which happens often, actually."

"Hold on," Even Blanc is starting to be confused by this, "You're saying that no action is likely going to happen until a mayor shows up, and even then, that mayor won't even last long?"

"Yeah..." Dr. Right winced, "That is the problem we're kinda in right now. No one is willing to be mayor since the moment they are in, they wouldn't stay long enough to do anything."

"Then do something about it!" Blanc complained, "Why don't you be the mayor and just do what needs to be done?"

"Ah!" Dr. Right winced, "I-I-I don't know if I should. I'm not good in front of large groups of people, making speeches! Besides, I'll just be tossed out like everyone else!"

"Oh, I know! This is the part where we get you to feel more comfortable talking in front of a big crowd, right?" Neptune grinned, "Just picture everyone in the audience as wearing goofy looking animal costumes with googily eyes! That's how you'll get comfortable, right?"

"Um, Neptune, I don't think that's how the advice goes," Nepgear said.

"Yeah, well, we get enough fanservice if I told her to picture everyone in their underwear or something," Neptune stopped, "Actually, that sounds like a great idea. Can we have a CG of that later?"

"Shut it, Neptune," Blanc growled at her, before turning to Dr. Right, "Maybe you should take over as an interim mayor or something like that. Say that it's to deal with the current emergencies, and that a new mayor would come in soon."

Dr. Right sighed, "You really think I should step in?"

"Well, until a new mayor can come in... maybe you should rethink that whole tradition of how the city has mayors. An election, maybe?" Blanc asked.

"Ah, it would be a huge change," Dr. Right said, "we've been doing this for so long, it's hard to just alter everything."

"You can always ask the citizens for help," Blanc urged, "A mayor alone cannot do everything."

"R-r-right," the lady shook a bit, "I-I will get on fixing the whole process. I don't know how long it will be, but I'll find a way to get everyone more involved."

"Well, now that we so easily and conveniently handled this absurd situation," Neptune said, "Can we deal with the other absurd situation?"

"Ah, yes, the winds," Dr. Right said as she looked a bit overwhelmed, being tasked with restoring order in the city somehow, "Normally, high winds like this would happen every few weeks. However, this has been on and off for several hours now, and while most people aren't too frightened, they are a bit confused."

"Any idea what is causing it?" Blanc asked.

"We have a hard time figuring out normal natural disasters here," the girl noted, "We hardly have any info on this current phenomenon."

"Great," Neptune grumbled, "So, how are we gonna find what we're looking for? Do we just go out and ask for it to come out?"

"Maybe we should?" Plutia blinked, "I mean, they don't like the CPUs right now, do they?"

"Plutia's got a point," Nepgear said as she thought about it, "Maybe we should try and lure it out somehow?"

"We need a little more than that to work with," Blanc said, looking to Dr. Right, "Was there anything going on in the city each time the winds struck?"

"Let's see," the girl tried to remember the details, "I think... yes, the university was putting on festivities for their sports team. I remember now. Each time the winds picked up, it was around the time the university's mascot showed up."

"They have something against school spirit?" Neptune wondered, "Is the mascot okay?"

Dr. Right nodded, "The school was quick to make sure everyone was safe. However, it's put a damper on the festivities. They wouldn't close them due to some silly disaster, but the last three times, it's been the same pattern."

"Then let's go to this school, and lure out these high winds," Neptune grinned, "We'll teach these jerks not to mess with people's fun!"

* * *

Downtown Sim City, home to a very dense commercial district, held a little rally/parade in the business market. The students who attend university also go here for some of their part-time work, and some businesses have taken notice, putting up the local colors to join in the festivities. Honestly, considering how much of Gamindustri is still under the firewall, I'm not sure how this city's priorities have 'school spirit' at the top.

"It's all about showing that the people of Gamindustri will not cower! Oh, and just having fun, really. Gamindustri in a nutshell," Neptune argued from atop a llama. Wait, what?

On the second look, it appeared as though Neptune has taken up the lead in this cheer. She was riding atop the university mascot, a llama, down the city street, along with many adoring alumni, fancy floats, cheering cheerleaders, studious students, brilliant businesspeople, and other alliterations!

"That's right!" Neptune exclaimed, waving happily to the crowd, "This is the power of a proper education!" Uh, sure, Neptune. In any case... hey, where are the others?

"I'd be a little more excited, but honestly, I am more of a Planeptune U fan," Nepgear admitted from the sidelines.

"I'm the CPU of this nation, and they still wanted Neptune to ride the mascot?" Blanc spoke dryly, harboring a little jealousy, "I wanted to ride the llama."

"Neptune's the most peppy of the group, so I can understand-" Nepgear was about to say more but Blanc would have none of that.

"Peppy? I can be peppy! I have a lot of energy!" Blanc said angrily, "I have enough pep to send the entire city to outer frickin' space! Don't you think so, **Nepgear? Well?"**

"Oh yeah, very!" Nepgear winced as Blanc raged.

Plutia, ignoring the display, waved with the crowd at her friend, getting involved in the festivities, "Go Llamas go!"

Blanc's fuse fizzled out, and she slumped with a sigh. Meanwhile, Neptune was busy leading the little parade, waving some more to the crowd, all the while keeping an eye on the skies.

Neptune waited in anticipation, eyes darting around, before feeling the breeze flow over her hair. She raised an eyebrow as the wind started to pick up, then grinned, "Right on cue..."

As she looked up in the sky, she stared at anything out of the ordinary. Well, other than the far-off firewall, that is. It didn't take long for her to spot a strange set of clouds drifting in the sky. They were strange in that, one, they had a yellow tint about them, and two, they were hovering just above the Sim City Tower. The Tower was the typical skyscraper meant to show just how big a city has grown, and to give everyone a chance to test their fear of heights. Neptune could spot the clouds just settling around the top of the skyscraper, blocking just enough off the top to make it look rather suspicious.

"That didn't take long," Neptune muttered, as the llama looked up as the wind continued to speed up on cue. The llama, staring up in the sky, spat some of its saliva, thankfully drifting away from Neptune and any nearby people due to the wind pushing it away.

"My thoughts exactly," Neptune said to her llama pal, before looking to the crowd, **"Wind's picking up! Incoming high winds! Everyone to hiding!"**

As if everyone was somehow in on the scheme, the crowd quickly dispersed, as Neptune hopped off the llama and handed him over to an expert handler to bring it safely away.

"If there is one thing about this city," Blanc commented, "It's that they know how to flee a natural disaster in a quick and orderly fashion."

"Fire alarms must be a breeze," Nepgear remarked, before she, Blanc, and Plutia ran over to meet with Neptune.

Neptune pointed up the Sim City Tower at the odd yellow cloud formation, saying dully, "Oh look, it's coming from above. Watch out. Aaah."

As the four held their balance on the growing winds, Blanc asked, "Are you certain it's up there?"

"I'm positive!" Neptune clenched her fists, "I can make out some robotic metal sheen up there."

"You can see that far?" Plutia asked.

"No, wait, I can see it too!" Nepgear pointed up, "Just barely!"

Sure enough, if one could squint just enough, they could see something else up in the sky near the clouds, and in the clouds. To be more specific, there may be some robots hovering around the set of clouds.

"Our priority should be whatever's causing the wind," Blanc said as she squinted up, "If we can take that thing down, the other robots should be easier to deal with."

"Alright, let's transform and fly up!" Neptune exclaimed, as the four began their transformation sequences. Once in HDD, the four jumped and flew upwards alongside the tower. While the wind was getting more and more harsh, the four used the tower to block whatever direction the wind was blowing. Thankfully for them, the tower was a fairly sturdy piece of architecture, able to withstand even a not-so-healthy breeze.

As they flew upwards, the CPUs soon saw some of the flying robotic jets drop down to intercept. Since the jets were not their priority, they decided to push ahead, dodging any lasers shot at them. Nepgear brought out her weapon to fire a few shots at the jets while still moving up. The others held their weapons at the ready, waiting for any jet foolish enough to get close, and to potentially deflect any shots. Iris Heart grinned, seeing an opportunity, and lashed out her sword-whip to catch one of the passing jets, wrapping around it and dragging it with her.

Finally pushing up past the clouds, the four could feel the wind not being an issue above, somehow. As it turned out, the wind is caused by a giant... ape? Robot? With fans? Excuse me? Hold on, let me look at it.

Okay, so the boss of this area, and pardon me for giving it that label but that's what I got, was an ape-like robot with large electric fans that fit inside its rather large shoulders. Ever seen those weird cartoons or comics where the characters have giant shoulder pads? Well, this ape's got giant shoulder fans! Ha...

Anyway, this monstrosity has been hanging around the small rooftop of Sim City Tower, mildly irritating the generally uninterested public with its wind-generating fans. How it effected such a wide radius on land is anyone's guess, but I guess that's the power of being a boss.

As the robot ape swung around the long pole attached to the top of the roof, standing on what appear to be a bunch of barrels, the four CPUs broke away from the scene, trying to get some distance, and avoid the fire from some of the robot jets trailing them.

Purple Heart, being rather irritated by this chase, looked to the nearest CPU, "Blanc, get these guys off me!"

"Tch, fine! We'll switch!" White Heart replied, as she and Neptune flew by each other, dodging fire while getting their weapons out. With a quick slash, they managed to drop down a couple of their pursuers, while the others scrambled away to try and regain their composure before attacking again.

Iris Heart, happy to see a boss to inflict some damage on, decided to offer it a gift, and unleashed the jet she had been carrying with her sword-whip, "Hello there, big guy. Here, **have a welcome gift!"** With an aggressive toss, the jet was thrown quite a distance, colliding with the robot's head, knocking it back a bit in the ensuing explosion. The robot took some damage, but it was still awfully sturdy, and after readjusted its head, grew angry, throwing its hands up and stomping its feet while beeping and booping. The sound chip for these robots don't appear to be that sophisticated.

Nepgear, who had far less pursuers thanks to her ability to fire back at her enemies, was first to try and charge at the robotic ape, getting her gunblade ready to slash at it. However, the ape was ready after its temper tantrum, and used its shoulder fans to blow a major gust of wind at Nepgear. The CPU candidate pushed against the gust of wind, but struggled to even stay in one spot, slowly being forced back by the winds, where she would inevitably be attacked by a new stream of jet reinforcements. She had no choice but to bail out, trying to move away from the fans as well as the new jets.

Neptune and Blanc saw what transpired, and nodded to each other as they thought of a plan of attack. The two flew in separate directions around the robot, trying to get to its sides, taking position before turning to charge. The robot saw the two charging in different directions, and acted accordingly, turning both its shoulders to aim the fans in both directions, pushing the two back with its fans. Say what you will, this robot ape is quite flexible.

While Heart flailed angrily waving its weapon in the robot's direction, **"You bastard! Cool that off so I can kill you properly!"** Unsurprisingly, the robot ignored that, pushing both White Heart and Purple Heart back, leaving the two to pull back and regroup.

"Anyone got any bright ideas?" Purple Heart asked as the four kept circling around the robot.

The ape-like robot then took a barrel from the pile, and tossed overhead at one of the CPUs. Iris Heart, the target, blinked and weaved away from the barrel toss, "My! Our friend here wasn't content to just stay still."

"It's just some stupid barrels, how bad could they be?" White Heart said as Purple Heart winced, knowing that it would raise some sort of flag.

As if on cue, as the ape kept tossing more barrels at the CPUs, Nepgear dodged one of the barrels that eventually hit one of the jets, causing a rather sizable explosion. Nepgear eeped, feeling the explosion tingeing her wings, **"Explosive barrels, that's what!"** Nepgear panicked, flying erratically. The few remaining jets following Nepgear flew away, joining with the other groups following the other CPUs.

"Crap!" Blanc exclaimed, "That thing's got a stockpile of barrels and we can't get close to it without that stupid wind!"

"Not quite!" Neptune said, before checking her sister, "Nepgear! Your weapon! Shoot those barrels near the robot!"

"Huh? Oh, right! Distract it while I get a good shot!" Nepgear said as she calmed down a bit from her earlier panic.

"Leave that to me!" Iris Heart grinned as she turned to go on the offensive against the remaining pursuing jets, slashing at them with her sword-whip, before grabbing onto another jet with it, and tossing it back at the robotic ape, "I know you miss me, big guy. **Hey! Pay attention when I'm speaking to you!"** Iris Heart made sure to toss it in between the ape's recent barrel tosses in order to get its attention, as the jet once again hit right on the head.

The ape had another temper tantrum, focused on Iris Heart as it jumped and stomped around on the roof. Before the other CPUs could react, the ape turned on its fans, and began tossing barrels at Neptune, Blanc, and Plutia, as Nepgear dipped down below the roof. The remaining jets bolted as the robotic ape went beserk, throwing barrels in every direction.

The three CPUs were scrambling in the air, trying to avoid the barrels while simultaneously dealing with the high winds. The fans made dodging even more difficult, as the barrels were affected by the winds as they were tossed, descending or ascending quickly from one moment to the next.

"I was expecting some level of platforming in Lowee, but this is rather silly," Purple Heart joked. Even in HDD she couldn't help herself to making the observation, with her body barely able to avoid contact with one of the barrels. The barrel plunged down below and exploded on the emptied streets.

Neptune found herself scrambling, having to convince Blanc not to 'bat' the barrels back at the robot, or Plutia to use her sword-whip on the barrels. "No, you two!" Purple Heart said, "Those things will just explode on contact!"

Meanwhile, Nepgear slowly popped her head back up from a decent distance. Raising her gunblade up as rifle, she aimed over at the barrels, "I guess even fancy boss robots are silly enough to stand nearby explosive barrels." She tried to hold her weapon steady, before holding her breath and taking the shot.

Sure enough, the shot was just enough to hit one of the easier-to-hit barrels from where Nepgear was. She wasn't as good a shot as Uni, but she was able to get a shot. The ensuing large explosion damaged the robotic ape and its fans. It also sent the robot high up into the air, turning into a small blip in the sky.

"How high can you get?" Iris Heart tilted her head up. White Heart stopped to catch her breath after having to dodge a lot of barrels.

Purple Heart, however, held her blade at the ready, "I've had it with this robot. To bother us is one thing, but not only do you try to bother an entire city, but also mess with the young kids during their school festivities? Time to pay!" Boosting herself up further into the sky, she readied for another go of her Neptune Break, dashing through the robot multiple times in a row. After one major slash, she knew she had the robot right where she wanted it.

 **"I'm not done with you yet!"** The frustrated Purple Heart launched the robot further up in the sky, reaching rather high altitudes. Able to keep her focus, and somehow her air, she flew up above the robot and charged down at it, driving the blade in deep and diving downwards. Down went Neptune and the robot, which had no means to react to the attack at this point.

Neptune dived down past the three CPUs, going past the roof and diving towards the ground below. As the three watched, Plutia remarked, "So... that high."

Neptune was used to falling from great heights and surviving, but this time, she was not too concerned. The robot and the ensuing explosion of her attack should somehow cushion the fall. Besides, this was all on her own momentum, and she was not going to miss this opportunity to finish the fight like this.

The impact sight was right in the midst of an empty intersection, with the explosion flaring upwards, incinerating the robot and causing some damage to the traffic lights and nearby buildings. Thankfully, no one was really around the area, having all been evacuated. Still, just more property damage for the city to fix. Hopefully Dr. Right could handle that.

The explosion soon vanished, with a smoldering crater in the middle. Purple Heart pulled her sword from the ground after the robot had vanished for good, lifting it up over her head as she stood up. She turned a little to look over her shoulder, making sure the coast was finally clear of enemies. Standing up fully, she spoke simply, setting the blade back down to finish her pose...

"Badass pose, set."


	21. ACT II: Toss Of A Non-Lemon

**("Phew... just finished writing a long chapter, which this one isn't! Act II is slowly making its way to the finish line! Enjoy this little filler! There'll be a little more in the coming days as I wrap things up. Any feedback is, of course, greatly appreciated!" - That idiot who thought a DK knockoff robot would be a great idea last chapter! Okay, he lied.)**

* * *

Randome City was returning to pre-flood conditions, as the roads cleared up and the puddles were dwindling down. Citizens were finally able to go outside again, free to return to their lives in the city. There were a few remaining puddles, however, but at least the kids were happy to be outside to splash in them without much worry. Likewise, the sewers below were calming down, back to pre-flood levels, and the monsters below were content to let things be. This did not mean that the place was always going to be safe from now on, but at least it was a reprieve for citizen and monster alike.

At the nearest hotel, Thomas was resting in his own room, tired after the earlier battles, and fresh after a long shower to rid himself of the grime and smell from down below. He had been trying to taking a nap for a while, but was unable to get some shuteye.

Giving up on sleeping, Thomas reached over to the nearby counter and grabbed a manga to read. It was something he picked up at the nearby shop, hoping to pass some time reading before being called back to this adventure. He was reading into a part, before quickly getting bored, placing the book over his face.

Part of him really wanted to sleep, but his body, despite its relaxed state, wasn't cooperating. He grumbled, muttering some words to himself, before he heard a knock on the door. He lifted the manga from his face and moved it to the other side of the bed he wasn't sleeping on, "Door's unlocked. You can come in."

As Thomas put his hands together on his lap, the hotel door opened a tad, and the young brunette known as IF slowly peeked into the room. "Hey Thomas," IF said, before opening the door and letting herself in, "Managed to get some rest?"

"Sort of," Thomas grumbled, "Sleep's a little harder to come by of late. I'm still good to go for now, though."

"That's fine," IF nodded as she relaxed, her hands going into her coat pockets, "I just finished talking to Nepgear and the others over the phone. Looks like they just finished their side of things, taking out the big baddie there."

Thomas closed his eyes, still trying to relax, "That's very good to hear. I guess that means we're heading out."

IF slowly nodded, "Once we're all ready, we'll meet back with the others at Iris Field. Nepgear's been checking with Histoire, trying to establish communications with Lowee. Hopefully we can get in contact with the Basilicom."

"I can only hope things haven't deteriorated over there," Thomas re-opened his eyes and slowly sat up from the bed, "I'll meet you all outside shortly."

"Sure thing," IF said, before noticing the book across the bed, "Hmm? I didn't take you to be a reader of manga as well."

Thomas struggled to hold back a yawn, covering his mouth. After that bit, he shook his head, "I'm generally not. I just wanted something else to read besides that tome or the information Histoire offered."

IF blinked, "Any luck on that front?"

Thomas shook his head, "Not really." He threw up his hands as he slowly moved to his feet, making the bed while moving the manga closer to him, planning to put it away, "The stuff I could read was some basic coding for older computers. Nothing that really stood out. Maybe if we learned more about this firewall, it might make more sense. Now though? Not a thing."

IF sighed, "That's unfortunate. Has Histoire checked with others about this sort of information?"

Thomas thought a moment, "I know she's checked this information with the Guild. If they uncovered anything, I'm sure we'd know by know, either from Histoire, or from one of your Guild contacts. I'm thinking about talking with Blanc, once we get past Lowee, about looking into it. Being the oldest of the CPU nations, and Blanc being an avid reader, she might have some insight."

"She does has an extensive library at the Basilicom," IF murmured, as her curiosity was more on the manga book that Thomas was reading.

Thomas noticed her curious look, and said, "You're free to take the book, if you like."

"I-I was just wondering what you were reading, that's all!" IF stammered, before glancing at the cover, "From Doki Doki Press, A Garden Variety Of Stories Volume 8..."

"Just some light stories in there," Thomas said as he finished making the bed, making sure the rest of the room was clean and organized before taking the book and handing it over to IF, "Sorry, nothing racy in there. Although I am sure there's some nice art in there I haven't seen yet."

"Oh, very funny," IF took the book and just as quickly slapped it right back at his torso, letting him take it back, "If I recall from memory, you read nearly anything, so I wasn't sure what to expect."

"I guess you may have a point," Thomas thought about it, as he tried not to sell that hit to the chest, "I just took what was a recent seller at the store nearby."

"Don't tell me you just follow the latest trends," IF said.

"Fine, I won't tell you that I check to see what Gamindustri had been interested in lately," Thomas joked, "I could tell you that pre-firewall it was high fantasy and cookbooks getting higher sales of late, but I won't. Because I respect you that much, IF."

"Oh, bite me," IF scolded Thomas while he got his key and was heading out the door, laughing. IF soon followed, closing the door behind them.

* * *

"So, things should be fine over there?" IF could be heard from Nepgear's N-Gear, as Neptune's party was heading back from Sim City.

"The city should be fine, pending anything that happens in city hall. But that's the boring stuff," Neptune said from beside her sister, "The robots seem to have left."

"Same thing on our end," Uzume could be heard on the device next, "As soon as we took down the boss, things have considerably calmed down."

"I am glad to hear that you have moved so quickly to help out the two cities," Histoire could be heard from the line, as she was in a three-way call between herself and the two parties, "The weather patterns appear to have stopped as well. I have since been able to re-establish some form of communication with Lowee and-"

Blanc was quick to jump into the conversation, leaning over on Nepgear's other side, "Have you heard anything at all yet? Are Rom and Ram okay?"

Histoire stammered a bit, "U-uh, well, I have been meaning to get to that, Lady Blanc. I came across some news items in regards to Lowee. In positive news, it appears that Lowee has largely been undamaged so far from any robot attacks. The local adventurers in the Guild there have held out fiercely, keeping the city and citizens safe."

IF could be heard, sounding relieved, "That's good to hear. Looks like the brothers might be able to head back home after all."

"The Guild?" Blanc winced, "But..."

"I was getting to that, Lady Blanc," Histoire said politely, "Unfortunately, the Basilicom suffered a few attacks during that time. As you know, the robots have targeted anything related to the CPUs, and so that building had to deal with the brunt of the attacks."

"That's not important right now!" Blanc was already impatient, "I'm talking about my sisters! Where are they?"

Histoire sighed, "I was going to say, Lady Blanc, that your sisters were actually not present in Lowee during that time."

"O-oh?" Blanc paused for a second, then snapped, **"They weren't there?"**

"Correct," Historie said through the N-Gear's speakers, "I've been trying to get more details from the Basilicom, although they appear to be preoccupied with the damages incurred so far. The Guild had more detail, however. It appeared that your sisters, soon after you left, went east to deal with a sudden incursion at the Global Expo."

"The Expo?" Nepgear seemed puzzled, "That hadn't been a place of major problems since the ASIC crisis."

"The Guild received reports of a major incursion of hostile attacks on the populace surrounding the Expo just before the firewall dropped," Histoire exposited, "The Guild sent the request to the Basilicom just as Blanc was heading out. This is only a presumption, but I believe the CPU candidates have gone to the Expo to deal with the incursion."

"Alright, so they're there," IF replied, "We can get in contact with them there, right?"

"Unfortunately," Histoire stated, "Communications with the Expo ended after the firewall dropped. It stands to reason that there is a barrier blocking that way."

"So we don't know if they're alright or not," Nepgear frowned, as Blanc turned away from her, clearly frustrated and concerned for her sisters, but trying so very hard not to lash out.

"You may want to check with Lowee proper first before going in that direction," Histoire said, "I'll still try to re-establish communication lines with as much as I could in Lowee, but it could take a while before I uncover any more information."

"It's alright, Histoire," IF said from her end, "We'll be meeting shortly to regroup and make our way to Lowee right away. You've done a lot for us already."

"U-understood," Histoire cleared her throat, "I'll get in contact if I find anything else. Please, do be careful."

"We will, Histoire," Nepgear smiled weakly, "Try not to overheat yourself when doing all that you can, okay?"

"I most certainly will not overheat!" Histoire scoffed, "But th-thank you for the concern, all the same, Nepgear. I'll be in touch."

"Talk to you later, Histoire!" IF said, as Histoire hung up on her end, and IF finished her part of the call, "We'll see you at the Fields, Nepgear."

"Roger that. Nepgear out," the candidate said before closing the call, and turning her head to check on Blanc.

Both Neptune and Plutia were already checking with Lowee's CPU, who was still not feeling too great.

"I, I told them to stay home in Lowee, to keep an eye on things," Blanc said softly, still dealing with both her anger and concern, "And yet they still went off on their own."

"You heard what happened," Neptune said in an effort to console her, "Something came up, and they had to check it out. It **did** happen in Lowee, after all."

Blanc winced, "I, I know. If I were in their position, I probably would've moved to check on it myself." She bit her lower lip.

Plutia pondered a moment, then said, "Okay! We just have to go through a few more checkpoints, then. It doesn't matter how many checkpoints are left. We'll get your sisters back."

"I too am worried about the others still behind the firewall, Lady Blanc," Nepgear said as she held a hand to her chest, "I know it can tug at the heart. However, I have faith in them, just as people have put their faith in us. I know they will be alright."

"The usually-worried Nepgear is surprisingly confident," Neptune beamed, "But she's right. Blanc, keep your chin up! Together, we'll reunite the Lowee sisters, and drive these robots away from your nation!"

Blanc took a deep breath, and eventually spoke, "Looks like, no matter the dimension, you Planeptune girls are unusually optimistic." Trying not to get teary-eyed, she said, "Thanks, you all. Let's go save my sisters."

* * *

"Quest complete?" Neptune asked aloud as the two parties reunited at the entrance to Iris Field.

"Looks like it," Thomas said as he turned his gaze east, "I'm glad that all of us made it through alright."

"Get used to it!" Neptune said confidently, surprising Thomas with a pat on the back of his shoulders, "When you deal with some of the best adventurers in all of Gamindustri, there can only be one outcome!"

Thomas' cheeks turned a little red, as he sighed a bit, "I don't know how you manage to keep that spirit up, Neptune."

"Call it a gift," Neptune grinned, "Besides, you've come this far. How you holding up anyway?"

"Sore," Thomas grumbled, "Not sure if I'm just fatigued or tense about all this recent fighting. Fighting mobs is one thing. Boss fights feel like another thing entirely."

"That's... understandable," Neptune paused to think about that, "But don't worry! Now that we've beaten them, we'll likely encounter them again as weaker versions of themselves in later dungeons."

"That doesn't fill me with confidence," Thomas frowned at the possibility of facing those bosses again, even as a weakened version.

While Neptune tried to assure Thomas not to worry about potentially facing even more dangerous enemies in the future, thus making him even more concerned, Plutia was happy to chat a little with Compa about what they had to face.

"So, Compa?" Plutia blinked, "I wasn't paying attention to the phone conversation, but, how did you do over in Randome City?"

"We did what we needed to stop the heavy rain from flooding the city," Compa smiled to her, "We defeated the big bad robot and even had a little help from the local monsters."

"Really?" Plutia's eyes widened, "The monsters helped? That's pretty amazing! What were you fighting, exactly?"

"Oh! It was some sort of weather-making rover," Compa said as she recalled, "It was shooting electricity at us and had help from other robots. We beat 'em up pretty good, though."

"We fought in the cramped sewers filled with poo water," Uzume muttered, overhearing the conversation between the two. She wasn't too thrilled about what she experienced in the sewers down below.

"Uh, yeah," Compa said with a sweatdrop, "It wasn't all that great, either. I'm sure you've had moments like that over in Sim City, right Plutia?"

"Not really," Plutia said as she tried to remember, "We were joining a local school parade downtown, then fought a giant robot ape in the skies. He threw explosive barrels at us!"

"School parade? Giant ape? Skies? Exploding barrels?" Uzume blinked as Plutia giggled at Uzume looking rather shocked.

"Uh-huh!" Plutia nodded, "Neppy even got to ride a llama."

Uzume took that as a shot, looking downcast, "Awww. No fair."

"Tell me about it," Blanc said as an aside, simply confusing Uzume some more.

Nepgear tried to console Uzume a little, "Oh, I'm sure you had a bit of fun over there, right?" Uzume simply glanced down in response.

"Wait a minute, you didn't tell me you rode a llama, Neptune," Thomas, overhearing the people behind him, spoke to Neptune, gesturing back, "Must've been an interesting ride."

"Yeah, the guy's a little sweetie," Neptune nodded, "Really, he's quite a mascot to just look up at some bad goings-on and not really flinch. Maybe you can learn a little from that guy."

"Very funny," Thomas said of the tease, "If he lived in Sim City, I'm sure he thinks of high winds as nothing."

"So he did," Neptune giggled softly, then blinked, "Wait, you knew about Sim City's, er, interesting history?"

"I've been back and forth between Lowee and Planeptune," Thomas stated, "Kind of hard **not** to notice the disasters that city gets. I try to avoid going around there namely because of the storms. That giant Dogoo attack was... different." He cringed, recalling some memory of that mess.

"Ah," Neptune said, her mind going all over the place with the imagery, "A-anyway, I'm sure your little sewer adventure wasn't all that bad."

"Could've been worse," Thomas muttered as he checked his inventory, "Though I did pick up some books."

"Oooh," Neptune blinked as she saw Thomas bring out the manga from earlier, "Is that the recent issue? Can I have a look?"

"Sure, I had a feeling you might want a look," Thomas said as he handed it over to Neptune, who flipped through some of the book's art.

As Neptune flipped through the pages rather quickly, Blanc slowly inched up to take a look behind the Planeptune goddess' back. During this time, IF was checking her cell phone to see if she could get in contact with anyone else in Lowee. After she was done reading a few texts and sending some responses, she noticed the entire group wasn't moving on.

IF put her phone away and cleared her throat, "Okay everyone, unless we have something important to discuss, we should get going."

"Allllllright, let's hop to it, then!" Neptune exclaimed as she slammed the book closed between her palms, "This time we're gonna get to Lowee for certain! Honestly, for an Act about being in the frozen north, we've had anything but what people link Lowee to-"

Looking rather frustrated with Neptune's treatment of the book, or using it as an excuse, Blanc yanked the manga from Neptune, taking it with her as she led the way in front of the now advancing party. "Seriously, Neptune, I worry you'll damage this issue Tom took his time to purchase. Let's see what it has..." Blanc's curiosity got the better of her as she opened the manga to peruse the contents.

"Um, by all means, have a look?" Thomas blinked as Blanc looked through it as though she was analyzing everything, probably more than need be. "I knew from the person at the store that it was popular, but really..." He said as he slowly walked forward to keep up with everyone's pace, "If I knew there were this many interested, I'd have bought more copies."

"I just wanted to look at the pretty pictures," Neptune shrugged, "Blanc's reading it like she's studying for some test later."

"Any good pictures you saw in there?" Thomas asked, "I didn't read the whole thing yet."

"There's a good one of some lady working over some fancy steampunk thing on page 64," Neptune recalled, "I don't know people could have such broadly-detailed shoulders, but the artist certainly went to great lengths to show 'em." Neptune grinned as she saw Blanc slowly checking the page in question, before fidgeting back to reading.

"Isn't that the light novel about a war set in an alternate dystopian version of Lastation?" Thomas tried to recall, "Avenir Chronicles, I think?"

"Hey, I was just looking at the art," Neptune shrugged.

"Uhh, yeah, I believe that's what it's called," Blanc responded, as she skimmed over to check for herself.

"Nice, I remembered at least one story today," Thomas seemed pleased that he recalled at least one story in the issue.

"Is this what you usually read in your off-time?" Blanc asked bluntly.

"Uh, well," Thomas thought a moment, "My off-time is usually spent fishing. When I read, it's either for work or to get an idea of what people like at the time."

"I see," Blanc sighed a little, as she hoped that the book would provide some more insight into Thomas himself, rather than just being a passing hobby. She then moved to another thing, "You know, Tom, if you would like to work for Lowee in the future, I could allow you access to plenty of Lowee's vast library of books and literature."

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, while Neptune had an incredulous look on her face. Did Blanc just try to offer Thomas a job in Lowee? Before Neptune could think about interrupting, Thomas sighed and answered, "The offer does sound tempting, Lady Blanc, but I must decline."

Blanc was rather surprised by the simple refusal, "R-really? Why not? I mean, I understand if you would wish not to, but I am rather curious."

"Well..." Thomas fidgeting, then his eyes widened as he remembered something from way back, looking back in his inventory, "It's simply because I... I really don't like the cold weather."

A beat later, Blanc cringed, "The weather?"

"Yes," Thomas said as he took out a pair of warm, wool gloves to put on, making sure he can move his fingers freely inside, "I always feel rather weak in the cold, and I can't seem to enjoy it for the most part. Lowee's a lovely place to visit, but... I'm sorry." He wasn't sure how else to phrase it other than his intense dislike of the cold. He then put the hood of his hoodie over his head, and looked to Neptune, "I think maybe this'll help with the cold. What do you think? How do I look?"

"Like you're ready to rob me," Neptune said in mock worry, "Please! I only have so many credits to my name. I urge you not to take it all! I don't know how the markets could handle it!"

"The hood's a bit much, huh?" Thomas said as he pulled the hood back down, and checked his inventory again, "Let me check, maybe I can use this instead."

"We do have indoor heating, if that is the problem," Blanc said, even as she watched the scene unfold near her.

"Uhh, I guess," Thomas murmured in response, "however, I don't know yet. I have a lot to think about right now. Like where the stupid thing is in my inventory. This is what happens when you manually sort your inventory instead of auto-sorting. Eventually you forget which went where." Thomas grumbled some more as he looked through, then stopped, "Here it is!"

Thomas put on a pair of dark purple earmuffs, then looked to Neptune, "How's this?"

"Oooh, nice!" Neptune said as she looked over the pair, "They look so warm and fuzzy. I should've gotten myself a pair!"

"Damnit," Thomas laughed at himself, "I had another opportunity to buy people extra things but I keep forgetting. If we ever shop together again, I'll definitely buy you a pair, how's that sound?"

"No need to worry about that!" Neptune laughed, "Though, I think if my birthday ever rolls around..."

"Duly noted," Thomas grinned, as Blanc just shook her head at the sight. After a bit, though, Thomas checked his inventory once more, "I have a scarf too in case the wind picks up again. I'll save that until it gets bad."

"Is that all you got for winter gear so far?" Neptune asked.

"So far, yeah," Thomas grimaced, "I don't know if it'll be enough..."

"Not likely," Blanc muttered as she moved on from the conversation. After a while, Thomas saw Blanc pulling away and called out.

"Uh, Lady Blanc? You still have the book!"

"Here! Catch!" Blanc said as she vented a little by giving it a good toss his way. Thomas was not too swift, unfortunately this time, as the book hit right on the noggin, sending him down for a spell. This naturally stopped the party, who glared at Blanc as a few of the others checked to see if Thomas was alright.

"Second time this adventure Tommy gets clonked by Lowee's CPU," Neptune said.

"Least when I bop him on the head, it was a light tap," Uzume remarked quietly to herself, her eyes staring daggers at the small CPU.

"I-It was an accident! A mistake! Damnit..." Blanc tched and muttered a few apologies to the reeling Thomas. The others soon sighed, knowing it most likely was what Blanc said. Still, Thomas was not going to be rid of his headaches so easily, it seemed.

* * *

Indeed, as the group continued down Iris Field, going down the path they went before, Thomas was taking some time to rub the spot where he had been hit. It was not a hammer to the face, but it was still Blanc's sheer strength behind that throw. Perhaps Blanc could become a pitcher with that arm strength, was most likely a thought that crossed his mind. That and his need to rid himself of the headache.

He also had a sense of deja vu, as the group dealt with monsters along the way much like the trip before the strange weather stopped them from proceeding. Meows, Moulin Rouges, and Turtles. He recalled fighting them all before, so it kinda threw him off, to the point where he was more on edge than usual.

When one of the Meows crept up on the back row from the side while the group was fighting, Thomas simply flailed his cutlass to shoo it away. The Meow got confused by his actions, enough for Plutia to swat it away with her plushie.

After the battle, Compa, who noticed Thomas' earlier panic, asked, "Are you alright?"

"Having a dreadful feeling of deja vu with some of these fights," Thomas winced, holding a hand to his chest, "I'm probably just stressing out."

"Oh dear," Compa pondered as she quickly looked over Thomas for anything. She shook her head, "I don't see anything, but perhaps... oh! Right! The monsters likely respawned around here."

Thomas stopped, and blinked several times as his mind went through that, "Respawned?"

"I'm surprised you haven't noticed before," Compa said, "But yeah, since we're going through this place again, we end up fighting similar fights against monster mobs."

Thomas closed his eyes, feeling rather stupid for forgetting, "Right. Sorry, this whole fighting thing is still new to me."

"It's okay," Compa assured him, "Sometimes the monsters we face are a one-time deal only for that area. Sometimes, it's like this. Strangely, the quests we get either involve taking out a rare monster, or fighting a number of these mobs. They just keep coming back."

Thomas nodded, "O-of course. I guess I forgot about the respawning thing for that time. Still, that was not a good feeling, this sense of deja vu..."

Before Thomas could elaborate further, Blanc finally interrupted, saying from the front, "There's Lowee! I can see it right in the distance!"

The two stopped their conversation, as they turned to follow the others to get a glimpse of Lowee in the distance, as they start to feel a bit of snow under their feet. Exiting Iris Field, the party could finally see the buildings of Lowee in the distance, as well as a barrier further to the east of the city.

Thomas could feel the cold Lowee air across his face, and frowned. Although the earmuffs and gloves did their job, he could already feel a twinge on his nose. The cold was already bothering him. If there was any other bright spot to this, it was that it made him forget about the panic attack from earlier, or the headache he's been having. He grumbled a little while getting into his inventory to get the scarf, wrapping it around his neck and the lower part of his head.

"I can't make out everything," Nepgear said as she leaned her head forward to survey, "But it looks like Lowee's holding up pretty well."

"I have a lot of confidence in my citizens," Blanc said bluntly, "Many of our adventurers are fairly strong. I am sure they would not hold back."

Thomas finally walked up to take a look at the view, and felt a little calmer. "No matter how many times I've visited, this view is amazing," he muttered to himself.

Looks like the party has finally made it to Lowee. What sort of dangers await them there? What of the twin CPU candidates, Rom and Ram? Will Thomas not be able to freak out so much? Seriously, the guy needs to calm down a bit. Oh well. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter when things will at least pick up.


	22. ACT II: Just Passing By

The Land of White Serenity was within reach. No robots or monsters to attack them, no weather patterns to stall them, no anything of the sort. The party had at last reached Lowee, and there was some a bit of relief in the party's ranks. Even Thomas, who had been dreading the weather for so long, stood in quiet awe of the city's splendor.

However, they all knew they couldn't stand there staring all day. Slowly, they all started to move forward to the city, with Blanc clearly out ahead. The CPU was still concerned about the state of her sisters, who apparently didn't stay in the city before the firewall dropped, but she absolutely wanted to be sure of how her city was holding up. She looked around the entrance to the city as she get closer. She wanted, no, needed, to meet with anyone, any familiar face.

Unlike Planeptune, which adorned itself with sleek-looking buildings and several skyscrapers, Lowee's main city sprawled around a massive building that dwarfed any other. Although the rest of the buildings were much smaller, they nonetheless fit in with the city's magical, winter themes. Domes and mushroom-shaped buildings were a common sight among the residents, and despite the weather, there was an active outdoor market in the downtown area.

The massive building, however, overtowered everything. Like some of the residential buildings, it too has some mushroom cap shapes. It was here that Lowee's Basilicom stood tall above the city. A large needle graced its center to add even more height, and probably to compete with the other skyscrapers both in its own nation and elsewhere. It certainly had the look of a traditional religious building, but it could also be confused with some fantasy castle from some storybook.

Perhaps this was why Thomas felt a little calmer in Lowee, even as his body was dealing poorly with the cold. He pondered a moment, and looked to the other people in the party. He quietly went over to Uzume, and asked, "So, was Lowee like this? Back then?"

"Hmm?" Uzume was surprised as Thomas asked her a question, "I'm sure a lot has changed since then," she smiles and shook her head, "I think the city's been like this for the most part. I still recognize a few older buildings out there." She then laughed, "Although, I didn't really get to visit Lowee that much back then. We weren't really on the best terms, certainly not like these days with everyone working together."

Thomas nodded a bit, and took a deep breath, "Ah, of course."

"I did visit Lowee more recently," Uzume grinned, trying but failing to giggle a bit, "I had a bit of fun and relaxation with the twins, and Umio got to do some storytelling."

Thomas blinked as he heard that name again, "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah, it was, like totally awesome," Uzume said happily, before she paused, realizing what she said, "Oh! Ahem, I mean, yeah, it was really great."

Thomas said politely, trying not to give away that he heard the name before, "My apologies, but I do not know who this Umio person is."

"Oh crap," Uzume winced, closing her eyes and feeling rather embarrassed, "Sorry about that! Uh yeah, Umio's a really great guy! He's been helping me since I was struggling back in Zero Dimension, and a great friend. He's really adorable, and has a really amazing voice."

"O-oh?" Thomas paused, before saying, "A great guy, great friend, really adorable, and an amazing voice. That's quite high praise for one man."

"I think you two would get along really well!" Uzume said, for the moment unaware that Thomas was feeling a little envious of a fish, "When we have the time, of course."

"Uh, r-right," Thomas flustered, "I would like to meet him some time. I'm sure it would be a very enlightening discussion."

As a narrator, I try my best to stay out of things like this but... oh hold on, I'm getting a message from Neptune via a paper airplane. I don't know how it got here, but it says not to spoil the fun. Okay, fine. Geez, I guess I'll check back on the story here. Let's see... ah!

Back to the story, Uzume beamed, "Awesome! You'll like him, I'm sure of it!"

Thomas smiled a bit, though he wasn't sure what to feel about the whole thing. Eventually, Plutia peeked her head in, "What are you two talking about?"

The two jumped a bit at the sudden butting in of the goddess from Ultradimension, surprised. Eventually, Thomas responded, "Oh, just talking about Lowee." He then paused, and asked, "Does the Lowee in your dimension look similar?"

"Well, there is not as much snow, and a lot more red on their houses," Plutia remarked, "But it still looked very pretty. I like both versions, really. Just like I like both versions of Blanny!"

"O-oh? I wouldn't mind taking a look at the nations in your dimension, Plutsy," Uzume said, "When this is over, do you mind if I visit your dimension?"

"Of course I don't mind!" Plutia beamed, "You can come too, Tommy!"

"U-uh, sure," Thomas nodded, feeling like he'll be doing a lot more sightseeing once this was all over.

Even as Thomas spoke with Uzume and Plutia, they kept moving toward the city. Eventually, Blanc's eyes widened as she recognized a group of people waiting. The rest of the party slowly made their way up, as a crowd was gathering to welcome back their CPU.

"Lady Blanc! You have returned! We were all so worried about what could have happened to you!" A young blonde-haired woman in a full maid's uniform was there to greet Blanc.

"Financier," Blanc smiled a bit as she met with the crowd, "Everyone. It's good to see all of you again." She looked back to the woman, "How is Lowee holding up?"

"I finished speaking with Histoire a while ago," Financier answered, "Communications have been rocky outside of the city after since that barrier went down. The Guild and adventurers here have kept order here even as the robot and monster attacks increased. Recently, though, we've been dealing with another issue as well."

"Another issue?" Blanc did not like the sound of that, "What was it?"

"I have heard from Histoire about the weather patterns in the west," Financier said as she turned a little, allowing Blanc to proceed a little and walk beside her, "Natural disasters occurring like that aren't natural at all. I'm surprised Sim City has barely managed."

"The city is undergoing some changes, but yes, these weather patterns were the cause of some machine the robots came up with," Blanc would then move to the next part, "Are you saying there is something like that happening here?"

"Sort of," Financier said with a bit of hesitation, "I can not really be certain, but it would make sense if that was it. Lately, the city has been dealing with a few tremors. Nothing big. No one has been hurt so far. So far, all that's happened has been some messes at the Basilicom." She then bowed her head, "I am sorry, Lady Blanc. Much of the library is an unorganized mess at the moment."

Although Blanc paused in movement and looked rather angry when she heard the news, she spoke softly, "I see. That is rather unfortunate. H-however, I am still glad you are all okay. That's f-far more important." She had a hard time saying all that without breaking into a fit, but she somehow managed, even as she fidgeted in place.

"It's okay, Lady Blanc," Financier replied simply, "We've got people reorganizing the shelves right away. While they do that, you and the other goddesses might be able to find out where these tremors are coming from, and hopefully stop it before it gets worse."

"Do you have any clues as to where this could possibly b-" She stopped a moment, looking at Financier, before gesturing a thumb to the east, "You think it might be somewhere else, such as the Expo?"

"We could not find anything around in this area," Financier explained, "Our citizens have looked high and low around the city for anything out of the ordinary. We even had a few people dive deep into the nearby river. Nothing."

"So you think the tremors might be from a source further away?" Blanc asked.

"When you last left, the Guild just published a new quest from the Guild, who received calls about attacks at the Expo," Financier said, "I wanted to send some adventurers to deal with the issue. However, your sisters were really adamant about protecting Lowee while you were gone. I, I am sorry, Lady Blanc, I could not stop them from going."

Before Blanc could respond, Neptune suddenly butted in, "Alright, so that means we go to the Expo and save the day. Sounds like a plan!"

"Uh, right," Blanc was thrown off by Neptune's interruption, though it diffused her frustration, "W-we'll get right on it."

"I am glad to hear you will help out, Lady Neptune," Financier was happy to see Neptune bounce in, "And I assume everyone else that has joined from Planeptune?"

"Oh, it's nothing, really!" Neptune said happily, "I'd do anything for Blanc." Blanc's confusion switched into a small blush, before Neptune continued, "And by that, I mean I'd do anything to help out Lowee, its CPUs, and all of Gamindustri!"

As Neptune would continue to tease Blanc a bit and chat a little with Financier, the other members of the party simply waited behind, all while they could hear the murmurs of the crowd.

"I'm so glad to see Lady White Heart back," one man could be heard talking to a friend of his, presumably, "With her back, we should be able to take back Lowee."

"Absolutely!" A more excited man could be heard, "This isn't like the last crisis either! Now we have the goddesses from Planeptune also helping out!"

"That would explain all those girls," A woman spoke out, as though she just figured it out now, "I know Planeptune has a CPU and a candidate. I'm guessing the one talking with Financier's is one of them?"

"Yeah, I think it's... is that Nepgear over there?" The first man guessed, incorrectly, "She seems so excited and full of life! Just like a younger sister, you know?"

"That can't be right," the woman said, "Didn't we hear about the younger one from Planeptune being more responsible and grounded? She looks too excited. No, that has to be Neptune."

Nepgear just sweatdropped as the two argued. "Really? I don't know," the man who guessed wrong said, "Neptune and Blanc wouldn't get along that closely, would they?"

"I'd ship it," the excited man from earlier said.

"Riiiight," the man muttered, hoping to ignore him, "Anyway, why have Neptune lead this discussion with Financier? Nepgear is clearly more capable of this sort of thing."

"I'm telling you," the woman said, "That one is Neptune. Oh, whatever. We know of the CPU and candidate, but there are a few others in the party too?"

"An entourage?" An older gentleman spoke next, "No, that can't be it. These girls are strong enough as is."

"Maybe they just got another candidate? There's that girl wearing pajamas and carrying a plushie around," the man who continued to make mistakes kept going, "Maybe she's the new girl?" Oh hearing this, Plutia looked rather perplexed.

"New girl?" The older gentleman scoffed, "Balderdash! There wasn't a new CPU, it was an old one revived, I tell you what! In fact, my old memory recalled a time when Planeptune adopted orange as part of its color scheme! It wouldn't surprise me if that twintailed girl was that CPU I've heard about lately!" Uzume couldn't help but be pleased by the correct guess. At least she wasn't confused for a candidate.

"Are you sure about that?" the dumb man continued as I will keep insulting him for being wrong, "She looks rather young for an older CPU. In fact, the only thing dated must be her wardrobe. Seriously, she's trying to put out this too-cool attitude look. Please, I can't believe teenagers still try to act like this, over 20 years later. Whatever, dude."

Uzume immediately frowned, clenching a fist and ready to give that man a talking to, but Nepgear held her back, shaking her head. The gentleman harrumphed, "Don't be like that! People can dress however they want these days. Do you want me to make fun of the way **you** look?"

"Tch, whatever, old man," the idiot continued, "What I'm saying is that Planeptune most likely has a few extra goddesses going with them. I thought Lowee had enough with three but I guess they didn't want to be beaten in that category either."

"Hmm, well you have a point," the gentlemen conceded, making the three CPUs look a little irritated by the observation, "I bet they even pulled some from those other dimensions too. Dimensional travel... load of bullocks if you ask me."

"Hey! Come now!" The woman exclaimed, "Let's be nice here! After all, these girls fought all the way here with our Lady Blanc to bring her back. We can at least be grateful for their help."

The two men could be heard a little quietly, with random mumbling, "Uh, yeah... we shouldn't have... yeah, my bad... rhubarb rhubarb..." The girls felt a little better after this.

"Although... who are these other people with them?" The woman asked.

"Uh, I think one is a nurse and the other I see often in the Guild," the idiot guessed correctly, although for all I know he could be mixing IF and Compa up. "Wait, there's a male in the party?"

"Yeah, I don't know who that is," the woman said aloud, as Thomas felt his ears burn a little, "Maybe he's from the Guild too?"

"Seems rather weak compared to the others, I say," the gentleman spoke, "not sure why such an underleveled person would be in this group, especially one on such an important mission."

"Maybe he's just following like a crazed fan or something," the moron guessed, as Thomas was starting to feel more irritated. In fact, the constant yammering and guessing was getting to him overall.

Before Thomas could cut in and say something he might regret, IF cut in, "Uh, guys? We can hear all of you. If you wanted to know who we are, you can always just ask."

"Yeah," Compa piped in, "We don't mind introducing ourselves!" She smiled and put on a cheerful intro, "I'm Compa, a nurse from Planeptune!"

"O-oh! H-hello!" The man seemed rather awkward with having been called out, "Sorry about the guessing, there. W-we haven't seen the goddesses besides those in our nation."

Thomas sighed softly, calming down as he realized that he, like so many in Gamindustri, had a hard time figuring out who was a CPU. He was surprised that the young girl in the Basilicom he met on the first work day was Neptune, after all. Uzume's reveal as a CPU shocked him, as well. If he didn't know about Plutia, he probably would've been surprised as well.

"I'm IF, and yes, I am a member of the Guild from Planeptune," IF greeted the few people in the crowd who wanted to know. Before she can go about on how she's like a wind blowing through Gamindustri, and not the unnatural one that was messing with Sim City, she was stopped by Blanc, Neptune, and Financier.

"Financier," Blanc cleared her throat, "You might recognize many of these people from Planeptune. People, this is Financier, who has been helping with the efforts here in Lowee."

The maid smiled and gave a small curtsy, "A pleasure to meet you all. I hope Lady Blanc has not been too much trouble."

"No, no trouble at all," Thomas said, even though his headache was telling him how much of a liar he was there. He did seem a little surprised, though, as he never recalled meeting with Financier whenever he visited Lowee.

"Just a few headaches here and there," Neptune joked, "But we're all good."

"I am glad," Financier smiled, before looking over the group, as the crowd watched her eyeing each one, "I recognize a few faces from before. Hello again Compa. IF."

"Hello miss Financier!" Compa said sweetly, "Have you adjusted well to your new role in the Basilicom?"

"A little," Financier nodded, "Although, I cannot say I am an Oracle or anything like that. I will do my best to help Lady Blanc out." She swished around, turning to the others, "Hello again Lady Nepgear. I trust you are just as eager to find Lowee's CPU candidates as all of us are?"

"Of course, miss Financier! They are my friends too, after all," Nepgear said with a small curtsy, feeling a little awkward doing so, "I promise you, and everyone else here, that I will make sure they are safe."

"We're counting on all of you," Financier said with her hands clasping together, "I know of your deeds, and what you have done over the years. I know that you and everyone else will be able to get through this."

Financier looked over towards Uzume, who had been standing with her arms crossed. The CPU was still a little irritated from the 'idiot' earlier, but she soon smiled over at the maid, "Hey there miss Financier. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I believe so, Lady Uzume," Finanicer nodded, "Again, it is an honor to meet another CPU, especially one as cool as you, Lady Orange Heart." She grinned a little goofily, as Uzume was quickly taken in by the cheesy compliment.

Uzume smiled, "It's nothing, miss Financier. I am glad you get what I've been going for, too! Don't worry, with all of us, we're sure to win this!"

The maid nodded, before finally turning over to meet the remaining members of the party, and seemed surprised, "O-oh? I do not believe we've met before. Although, I may have seen both of your faces before..." She squinted a little at Plutia, then tilted her head at Thomas, before she returned back to a simple stance, "My apologies. I am miss Financier. I only just recently been at Lady Blanc's side for a little while now."

Plutia giggled, doing a rather goofy little curtsy in her pajamas, "Hello miss Financier! My name is Plutia! It's nice to meet you!" She whispered a bit beside her to Thomas, "Blanny's got a cute little maid, hehe~!"

Thomas blinked at the aside, while Financier simply laughed. Blanc cleared her throat, speaking as a louder aside to Financier and the crowd, "She is Iris Heart, the CPU of Planeptune in Ultradimension." There is a bit of a murmur in the crowd, and a bit of a cheer as well, since that meant another CPU helping out.

Financier nodded slowly to the mellow CPU, and pondered a moment, "I guess that is why you look a little familiar. A pleasure to meet you." She smiled, before turning over to look up at Thomas. The small maid tilted her head, "And you, sir? May I ask who you are?"

Thomas blinked a few times, feeling put on the spot, "Th-Thomas. My name is Thomas A-"

"Oh!" Financier's eyes widened, "So you are Thomas. I heard about you before from Lady Blanc. I did not expect to meet you here, however, especially in a party."

"In fairness, I wasn't expecting to be here either," Thomas muttered, as at least he was recognized. However, he paused, "Wait, from Lady Blanc? She spoke of me?"

Financier smiled coyly, "Only a little bit."

Blanc quickly cut in, "So yes, this is Thomas from Planeptune. I believe he does a bit of work for the citizens of the Azure Coast as well?"

"U-uh, that's correct," Thomas arched an eyebrow at Blanc, but couldn't really say much else at this point, "Just a former bureaucrat coming along for the ride."

There was a little commotion in the crowd, but they were about as unsure as Thomas was about himself. Blanc then continued, "Anyway! Now that we've got all the introductions out of the way, let's get to bringing down that barrier!" She said as she dramatically pointed east. The gesture lost a little dramatic effect as her coat's sleeve covered up much of her attempted flair.

"Sounds good! All right, everyone! To the barrier!" Neptune exclaimed to her party, with the crowd slowly following behind, curious to see the goddesses in action.

* * *

It was a rather odd moment for the CPUs, almost like they were doing a ritual for the crowd in Lowee. Blanc had transformed and was ready to call forth the key to breaking down the barrier. The crowd stayed silent for most of it, simply awaiting in anticipation for their goddess to show her power. Blanc, feeling rather awkward by her citizens staring at her, and praying inwardly that her sisters were safe, executed the steps in the tome, and the glow once more surged to pierce a hole through the barrier, slowly but surely dissolving the barrier. The path east was finally open.

The crowd let out a cheer and urged White Heart on. White Heart, flustered by the encouragement, yelled out, "I heard you all loud and clear! Geez..." This didn't really stop the crowd, as they were fond of seeing her react that way. At least no books were thrown!

"This is a little embarrassing," Thomas murmured at the amount of adulation, "Though, I shouldn't really complain. I'd have cheered as well if I had seen that." He tightened his scarf a little around his face as he already started moving along the open path, as Blanc made her goodbyes to Financier and the crowd.

"It does feel a little weird," Nepgear, who overheard Thomas, walked up beside him to keep an eye out, and to talk, "It does come with being the leader of a CPU nation, especially a nation that loves their CPU as much as they do in Lowee."

Thomas nodded a little slowly, then laughed, "Do you find that kind of worship embarrassing?"

"I-I expect more of this worship for my sister," Nepgear said as she went back to fidgeting with her fingers, "And Neptune loves that kind of attention."

"But you do get similar worship at times, right?" Thomas asked, looking honestly curious.

"Um," Nepgear winced, "I haven't really... uh, um... oh, this is hard! I can't think of a time I had such a crowd cheer for me!"

"I find that really hard to believe," Thomas remarked.

"You're right, I just remembered!" Nepgear finally recalled, "I had a concert with the other CPU candidates! Everyone was so happy afterwards!"

"You had a concert?" Thomas blinked, confused, "With the other candidates? Like... actual singing? Dancing? That kind of thing?"

"Y-y-yes!" Nepgear nervously nodded, "We were trying to raise the spirits of people in Leanbox at the time. Although, really, we kinda just danced around. If we did sing, I don't remember how it went... or if anyone got any audio. Goodness, what if someone recorded me singing?"

"Er, ask for a copy?" Thomas shrugged. Nepgear was starting to worry, when Thomas shook his head, "The crowd enjoyed the show, right? Does it matter?"

"I, I guess it doesn't matter," Nepgear said, while looking over to see Blanc, back in human form, waving to the crowd, "It still is a bit strange, to have that spotlight, even for a while."

"Some people are more accustomed to that spotlight than others," Thomas said quietly, then paused to check on the others. He stopped, waiting for them to catch up and let them take the front row, "Just as there are those more accustomed to this adventuring business."

"You were feeling nervous back there, weren't you?" Nepgear threw the question out there, surprising Thomas.

After a beat, Thomas softly spoke, "Compared to goddesses and real adventurers, I am but a servant. Being introduced in the same fashion in front of so many... it does not feel right." He cleared his throat, and gestured a gloved thumb ahead, "The Expo is a little aways. Let's keep moving."

Thomas continued on, following behind the others who moved ahead of him. Nepgear, however, paused to contemplate a few things. Perhaps she was wondering about why Thomas was always so down on himself? Perhaps she was drawing comparisons between this and how she would sometimes feel down on her own abilities? Perhaps she was thinking of her fellow candidates? Perhaps she was still worried about Rom, Ram, and Uni? Perhaps...

"I wonder if Lowee's got some robot parts I can use? If they held off against those attackers, they must've looted something, right?" Huh, and I thought she was thinking of something more serious.


	23. ACT II: Nostalgia At The Expo

It was not too far away from the path out of Lowee, away from the outskirts, that the party spotted a group of people in a makeshift campsite. There were cots and tents and places where people were huddling around a fire for some warmth, or cooking up some food. The Expo was just a little further, but it seemed that many of these people chose to stay outside of it.

Naturally, the fall of the previous barrier caused a few of the people in the camp to move away to get a closer look. Upon seeing the party, and in particular CPU Blanc leading them, the few rushed back to tell the others. Thomas felt rather concerned, but his worry vanished as the people in camp resumed their normal activity, while a few people started to come over.

Thomas stayed in the back as the few people came closer, waiting to see how the CPUs would handle this. Blanc turned her head to Neptune beside her, saying, "It's fine. I recognize a lot of the people here are fellow citizens I see often."

"Lady White Heart! Thank goodness you've shown up!" One of the NPCs, who looked like one of the Basilicom staff, at least the ones that wear the long robes, spoke out. He bowed before continuing, "We were starting to wonder if we would ever have contact with Lowee again."

Blanc took a moment to survey the people both in the small group and in the camp, before she nodded to the staff member, "The people here... they are people who were at the Expo?"

"Yes, my Lady," the NPC said, "Before all the strange things with the sky falling, and being unable to get back to Lowee, many of us were at the Expo. The place has on occasion been holding a couple of exhibitions. Art exhibits, book exhibits, tech exhibits..." He glanced back, "We just had a basic historical exhibition, showing some of the old tech from Lowee and other CPU nations."

"So it acted as a bit of a museum?" IF asked, stepping in.

The NPC was a bit surprised at the sudden cut-in, but slowly nodded. He apparently recognized the Guild member, "Yes. Since the initial exhibition, the buildings have been used for a variety of events, but lately, they have been home to showcasing some of Gamindustri's past. Other times, we have a farmer's market in case some people want some fresh food there. Concessions, gift shop, that sort of thing."

Continuing, the NPC motioned a hand to the camp, "Before the sky falling, we suddenly had an attack by robots. There were a few monsters around, but it was mainly robots. We never recognized them before. I even talked with an old historical curator. He doesn't seem to recognize them at all from any known records."

"You sent word to the Guild, then?" Blanc asked.

"Eventually, yes," the NPC winced, "Initially, there were so many of them that came out of... I don't know where, but they just popped up and started a ruckus, breaking several items and artifacts. I could only surmise that they were looking for some things, but that's just speculation on my part. We had the few guards we had on site doing their best to hold them off while we tried to get everyone out of here. Eventually, though, we got help from the CPU candidates. They took over straight from the guards and protected all of us."

"My sisters?" Blanc's eyes widened, as she looked around the camp for any sign of them.

"Ladies Ram and Rom," the NPC looked increasingly nervous as Blanc was becoming more agitated, "They worked so hard to get every one of us out of there. I never seen such determination to evacuate so many people in all my time here." He frowned, looking back, "It's been about a day or so since I last them, though. The robots have not pursued us, but I do not know where those two are."

"You mean they're still in there?" Blanc was clearly upset by this, "And you haven't heard from them?"

"Please, my lady, we were only doing what they told us to!" The NPC pleaded, "They wanted us to leave and head for nearby shelter until either they come out or help arrived! This weird barrier kept us from fleeing to Lowee, or even Lastation! The best we could do was set up camp around here. The guards are barely able to hold up here, let alone try and go back. We're not strong enough to handle those robots!"

"I'm sick of your excuses!" Blanc snapped, but held herself back before throwing another fit, "I... I understand. Has anything happened after you've lost contact?"

"Not since," the NPC shook his head, also sharing Blanc's worry, "If there is anything positive to say, it's that we haven't seen those attackers show up either. Though I doubt that it is any consolation."

Blanc sighed heavily, trying not to vent out her anger. IF cut-in once more, "Perhaps... perhaps they are still in there, maybe holding off the attackers."

"After so long?" The NPC asked in surprise, even as Blanc was looking like she wanted to say that, "How long could CPUs last? With little to no food or sleep? If they had any?"

IF winced, not sure how to respond after that. It didn't look that good for the two CPU candidates.

The NPC realized how dire the situation began, and tried to think of anything, "M-maybe they still have some food in their inventory, or they found something to eat over at the Expo. Perhaps they managed to elude the attackers and find a place to rest? Uh..."

"Please stop," Blanc said, "You're sounding desperate to find anything."

"I'm sorry, my Lady," He said as he looked downcast, "I-I want to believe they are still alright."

"We must hold onto that faith, then, however small," Thomas finally spoke out, "A CPU relies on that faith to keep going, correct?"

"I-It does help, uh, sir?" The NPC was confused by the response from the lone male in the back of the party.

Thomas frowned, not wanting to talk about himself currently. He instead continued, "I know this sounds very naive, too hopeful. Insane, even. However, a CPU, even a candidate, is capable of amazing feats. If there is a chance that those two candidates are still able to hold out in there for so long, then we, um, the citizens, must hold our faith that they can pull through. While we still have that hope, that faith, that optimism... we might be able to get in there and find them."

"It does sound rather crazy," The NPC nodded, "But... as you say, we must still hold true to our belief in the goddesses. Please, all of you, please hurry and find them."

"That was the plan!" Neptune perked up, "You can count on us!"

The NPC blinked at the optimistic CPU, "Uh, right. We in the camp shall hold our faith both for the candidates, and for all of you."

Blanc nodded slowly, before stating her proclamation as fact, as she adjusted his cap, "We shall return."

Neptune quipped, "Alright! The general's made her proclamation. Let's move on to glory or victory or whatever!"

Blanc just sighed, as the group made their way through the camp. The NPC, however, wasn't quite done, as he said to Thomas, "I am glad you are optimistic, sir. Um, who are you, exactly?"

"I-I-" Thomas was hesitating, as he was put on the spot once more in front of a crowd, but IF was quick to respond in his place, "Oh! He's with me."

The NPC blinked, then looked more understanding, "Ah, very well. Best of luck to all of you, then. Please, Guild members, keep our Lady and the others safe."

Thomas nodded slowly, and quickly rejoined with the others walking towards the large building hosting the Expo. IF, moving beside him, said quietly, "Welcome to the Guild, I suppose?"

"I did work with the Guild on many occasions," Thomas said, confused but rather grateful for the save, "You did not really have to do that."

"After seeing you looking rather awkward in Lowee," IF muttered, "Thought I might as well save some time with the introductions. Although, now I'm your boss, just so you know."

"Funny," Thomas grumbled, "But, thanks for the assist, all the same."

"I guess, to anyone watching," IF commented, as they noted a few in the camp they were passing by giving them a quick look, "Having one male in a group of young-looking girls might raise more than a few eyebrows."

"Uh, yeah," Thomas did not want to see said eyebrow-raising, but he did catch a few glares. He then sighed, "Honestly, though, why would I do anything untoward? Even if I did, anyone in this party would easily break me like a twig."

"Oh?" IF said with a look around the party, "You seem fairly certain."

"I've seen you all fight so far," Thomas muttered, "You really think I have a chance against anyone?"

"Well," IF grinned, "Probably not. I'm no CPU, and I'm certain I can break you in half."

"Th-thanks, I guess?" Thomas winced, not wanting to think too much about that scenario playing out.

"Well, as your new 'boss'," IF said as she continued that joke, "It is my responsibility to make sure you do not do anything crazy. So no funny business. Understand?"

"Yes, **sir,** " Thomas said in a mocking tone.

* * *

For a building hosting an exhibition, or some kind of venue that would hold a variety of things, Lowee's Global Expo looked more like a large freezer. I mean, I heard of preserving things in a large, cold storage room, but I don't think this was what this Expo had going for it.

Thomas certainly was not a big fan of the facility, as he shivered a little upon entering. Although the others felt the cold weather inside the building, they did not flinch as much. Instead, they checked around to see something more concerning than the room temperature.

"It looks like a tornado just swept everything around," Compa said, as she tried not to trip over a fallen chair laid out in the middle of the hallway.

"I don't know about a tornado," Nepgear said, "But yeah, this place is a mess." She walked over to a stand of random tech parts, currently turned over and laid across the floor.

"Didn't their mommy ever tell them not to leave such an awful mess behind?" Plutia complained, to which Neptune grimaced.

"Uhh, do these robots even have a mommy?" Neptune remarked.

Plutia shook her head in response, "Neppy, it was a simple figure of speech." She paused, "The CPUs in this dimension, do you have mommies?"

"Short answer, no," Neptune said quickly, "Long answer, it depends on the story being told. In this iteration, we'll go with no, but there was a wacky plot twist in a previous story that-"

"I liked the short answer better," Plutia said, not wanting to delve further.

"Good idea," Neptune quickly agreed.

Uzume knelt down beside Nepgear, in the meanwhile, looking more depressed as she looked over the mess. She reached over to grab a small piece of the broken tech, "I... I remember this."

Nepgear turned her head over to see, and looked in shock, "What the goodness? It's... it looks a bit like your visual radio!"

"Almost," Uzume sighed, "It's actually more of a prototype. I was kinda proud of the design back then. I even wanted to give it a little more color." She held the little thing in her hands, recalling, "It was so adorable... why..." She looked away as she tried to compose herself, feeling rather distraught over seeing a piece of her history trashed like this.

Nepgear, feeling rather saddened herself, offered some comfort, even so much as to offer a little hug. Uzume shook her head emphatically, "I'll be fine."

Meanwhile, as Uzume tried not to break down over a piece of old tech, Plutia was holding what appeared to be a massive red sphere, which had fallen off of another stand, "Wow, this thing is a little heavy. What is it?"

Compa had checked in to see what Plutia holding, and blinked, "Hey, I remembered this thing when I was a little Compa!" She went over to Plutia and took a look over the strange sphere, "This old thing was an early attempt at Virtual Reality. It's a helmet."

Plutia blinked in confusion, before moving it in her hands to see that indeed, there's a place for the head to go in, as well as a few ports where the wires would connect, "Oh! So if I can play VR on this thing?"

"Not really," Compa noted, as it was disconnected from the nearby controller that had a similar color scheme, "I mean, it works, sure. However, it wasn't really a success. The thing would use a little display and some mirrors to simulate a 3D look, but it was only in one color. There weren't many games on it, and those that were released were pretty bad. That's not even getting into the health issues players had."

Plutia was rather surprised, "This thing was that bad?" She calmly put the heavy sphere near the controller, trying to set them aside in nice spot so people won't trip over it.

"Yep!" Compa continued on, "Let's see, the manual included warnings on it being too heavy for people below the age of eight, that prolonged exposure would lead to dizziness, nausea, headaches... it messed with your head, basically. It also went into the trend of video games asking people to take a break after a certain time, although in this case it was very much warranted. Eventually, this thing failed... it's why that looks more like a prop and not the real thing. Still heavy, though?"

Plutia nodded, "It sure was. Wow, that sounds terrible! Who would come up with such a bad idea to give people such headaches?"

"Well," Compa pondered, "I think it was something developed out of Lowee..."

The two turned to look at Blanc, who had been looking around the lobby to make sure everything else was clear. However, she was overhearing the conversation made by the two, and she sighed, "That was a terrible mistake." After a beat, and no response from either Compa of Plutia, Blanc snapped, "I wanted to do something neat, o-okay? I wanted to be different from the other nations showing off at the time their new things. I-It's not the first time I had a system with a simple color scheme! My last one did great!" She bit her lower lip, before finally saying, "It was not a good time for Lowee."

"Or for the players," Compa said, "Really, I was disappointed."

"Blanny shouldn't be hurting people with her games," Plutia pouted, "It isn't very nice."

"I apologized for that mistake, and vowed to do better in the future," Blanc grumbled, "At least now, our technology is certainly better and won't cause that much strain." She then looked right at Plutia, "And I don't need to be lectured on that by the other universe's sadist."

Plutia's eyes glanced away, clearly faking her innocence, "I do not know what you are talking about." Blanc simply tched in response, trying to get back to her search for clues.

Neptune, meanwhile, was busy hopping over some of the litter on the floor, culminating in a triple jump, "Jump..." "Like a..." "Kangaroo!" She stopped with her feet planted together for the perfect landing. No judge was on hand to see this, however, and all she could do was rate herself.

She eventually noticed something near her feet, and knelt down to lift it up for a better look. Knowing what it was, she smiled weakly, and brought it up against the wall, leaning it so that it could stand better. After giving it a lookover, she looked behind her, noticing Thomas still near the entrance, and waved him over, "Hey Tommy! Come over here for a second!"

Thomas, curious, and trying not to complain about the cold, walked over Neptune, trying to move around the things on the ground before finally meeting with her, "Uh, yeah, Neptune? What is it?"

"Get a load of this beauty!" Neptune said as she showed him the cardboard cut-out of her HDD self, Purple Heart, doing a simple pose, "Given a lot of the old stuff in here, I'm guessing this is to show a bit of CPU history. But man, I'm liking this 2D version of myself. What do you think?"

Thomas blinked at the cutout, before saying in a surprised tone, "Remarkable. Is this really a photograph that they blew up or an artistic rendering, because it looks really similar to your HDD form."

"I know, right?" Neptune agreed as she looked it over, "It is such amazing detail! Maybe someone traced a photograph to make this drawing? Either way, it looks great! Has me acting all heroic or whatever!" She then joked as she stood side-by-side with the cutout, "So, Tommy! What do you like better? 2D or 3D?"

Thomas glared at her for making a silly joke, to which Neptune laughed, "Kidding! Kidding! Still, this cutout's pretty good... even if it was tossed down along with everything else in this lobby." She hummed, then giggled once more, "Eheh, Blanc should be happy, this cutout's probably even flatter than she is!"

 **"Did you say something, Neptune?"**

Neptune glanced back, seeing Blanc on the other side of the room, looking rather irritated, **"I said-"**

"She said we should make Blanc happy and keep searching! Faster!" Thomas interrupted Neptune, who looked surprised as Blanc blinked.

"Yeah, you have a point! I can't find anything here," Blanc grumbled, "Let's go in further! Maybe something more interesting will pop up."

"Good idea," Thomas nodded, and pointed over down the lobby to another hallway where the party could go next.

As the party started moving, Neptune said, "You know I didn't say-"

Thomas simply glared at Neptune, "You can tease her later, **after** we find her sisters and save the day and get out of this blasted icebox!"

"I don't think it's that cold," Neptune blinked, "But o-kay! I guess we should focus on that reunion first, huh?"

Thomas shivered once more and tightened his scarf. He might be just a tad bit cranky. Or maybe he's whiny, whichever.

"I'm going with whiny," Neptune answered, as Thomas grumbled under his scarf.

* * *

The party went into the long-winding hallway heading on a downward slope. The hallway was barely lit as some of the overhead lights were broken. Blanc and Neptune were out in front, keeping their weapons at the ready. The others, meanwhile, trailed behind, looking around the dark corridor.

"Hey Tommy," Neptune teased, "I've seen movies like this set in dark corridors. You might not want to be too far behind, or an evil slasher will get ya!"

"That's just the movies," Thomas said, but it did not stop him from looking behind him.

Uzume, noticing Thomas looking back, leaned over to quietly say, "Boo."

Thomas immediately jumped a bit, as he turned quickly to see Uzume sigh, "Relax, Tomsy. Nepsy's just joking again."

Thomas winced, "I knew. It's just... we haven't seen anyone yet. Do you not find that a bit odd?"

Uzume grimaced, looking around the hallway, "Yeah. I guess it would be odd. I would expect something to show up." She then coughed, turning on her bravado, "We can all handle it. No stupid slasher is going to catch us by surprise!"

"Uh, Uzume?" Nepgear said, "That's just a movie thing."

Uzume pumped a fist up, "We'll make certain it stays that way!"

Thomas sweatdropped, feeling rather foolish for the entire scene so far. He looked away to check along the wall of the long hallway. The hallway turned sharply to the right, and the party slowed down to very slowly look around. Blanc was the first to look around, popping her head out. Neptune was next, peeking her head out from above, "Hello!" She paused, and awwed, "No one?"

"Just a few messes," Blanc said as she moved out, "Broken lights and the wall looking rather cracked at points. Hmm..."

Neptune shrugged, and gestured the others to follow them around the corner. The others soon joined in; however, Thomas stopped as he noticed the crack at the wall, before kneeling down to see, "Um, everyone? We got a pretty big hole in the wall, here."

"Hmm?" IF took some interest, and knelt down to check with the hole, "Look at that. There's a tunnel leading somewhere. Maybe a room?"

Thomas squinted down the tunnel, trying to get a good look, as IF was getting her phone, "Just enough of a tunnel for anyone to crawl in. Any idea what it could be?"

IF took her phone and turned on the small light feature to check down the tunnel, "I don't know specifically, but I can certainly see something down there. There's definitely a room there."

Blanc walked over, taking a look between the two, "If I remember anything, this Global Expo was built near an abandoned mine. Perhaps what you're seeing is a closed-off area of the mine?"

Thomas thought for a moment, before saying, "This tunnel is small enough for any one of us to enter. Not to mention, this presents something." He speculated, "If I were small, and trying to avoid a bunch of robots over a period of time inside this building..."

"You think the twins might've crawled in there?" IF asked.

"I'm saying it's a possibility," Thomas shrugged, "I can't be absolutely certain. We haven't checked the rest of this building yet."

There is a pause, with the three mulling over the idea that the twins went into the abandoned mines to hide for a while.

"We might as well take a look," Thomas muttered, peeking in the tunnel, "It's been rather quiet on this end..."

IF frowned a little, before pulling out another phone, and flipping on a light switch to offer Thomas, "Alright, if that's how you feel, you go in first. This phone will help you look ahead."

Thomas looked confused as he was handed the phone, "W-why do I have to go in? Why not you, IF? You're agile at this sort of stuff?"

IF grimaced at him, as did Blanc, as they both stared at him. Thomas was rather puzzled for a second, but sighing, "Alright. I guess it's because I found this tunnel first." He grumbled as he tucked the scarf behind him as he laid down stomach-first, and tried to crawl into the tunnel.

As Thomas went inside the tunnel, Blanc gestured in his direction to IF, "Is he really that dense?"

"Sometimes I think so," IF said, "Other times, I don't know. I just didn't want him looking in there while I was crawling, you know?"

Blanc simply shrugged, as the two checked on Thomas' progress through the tunnel. Well, it seems at least they got the fanservice here. Enjoying the view, you two?

"Oh, put a sock in it!" Both Blanc and IF chastised the narrator for speaking his mind.

Meanwhile, Thomas crawled through the tunnel, wincing as he pulled himself through some tight areas. Eventually, he reached the end, pulling himself beside the hole and trying to sit himself upright. He panted, as he could hear the voice of IF, "Thomas? We can't see you now, are you alright?"

Thomas cringed, leaning against the wall of whatever place he was at, and said, "Hold on a moment! I gotta get my bearings here first." He caught his breath, and looked around the area, before taking the phone IF gave him, and turned the light around the get a better look.

"Okay," Thomas spoke after getting his bearings, "I'm alright. I'm looking around now. I don't see or hear anyone. This..." He moved the light to one side, then another, "This looks like an old mining tunnel. I can see it ending over on one side. The other side keeps going, and I see the tunnel dipping down. There's some minecart tracks on the ground."

"So you can't make out what's further?" Blanc asked from afar.

Thomas replied, "No." He slowly shuffled onto his feet, trying to balance himself, "If anyone went through here, they are not nearby." He moved the light on the ground, and checked, "Hold on a moment." He stopped, checking the dirt beside the tracks, "I see some small footprints here. I don't know if they were made recently, however."

"So they could be in there!" Blanc exclaimed, "Hold on, I'm going in."

"Wait, Lady Blanc," IF said, "I'll go in first. It shouldn't take too long, but we can't all rush in at once."

"A-alright," Blanc murmured, "Let me know when you make it to the other side."

"I'll move a little away so you can get out," Thomas said as he walked down a bit, using the light to check the footprints.

"Right," IF said as she laid down and began to crawl into the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Thomas checked the footprints, and muttered, "If only I knew what shoe size the twins had. Or what their shoes looked like."

After some more examination, Thomas sighed, "If they did come through here, there would only be one way to go. But how far does this go?" He looked down the path, unable to see further as it bent down a level before going straight ahead.

"Almost there," IF as she was nearing the end of the smaller tunnel. It was at that moment, however, that the ground beneath them all began to shake. From the Expo, Blanc and the others braced themselves.

"What the goodness is going on?" Nepgear exclaimed.

Blanc yelled, "A tremor? Now? Crap, it must be whatever's been hitting Lowee."

IF panicked, as the tremor shook the small tunnel, and she started to feel some of the dirt above. Thomas noticed the small tunnel was looking like it was ready to collapse. Thomas quickly went to the tunnel entrance to check on IF, holding his hands out, "Quick! IF!" IF scrambled, crawling closer, before Thomas grabbed onto her arms and dragged her out of the small tunnel. Just as IF's feet left the tunnel, the small tunnel collapsed behind her.

"Iffy! Tommy!" Neptune called out, even as the tremors continued.

Thomas lost balance soon after pulling IF out, and the Guild agent tumbled over beside him. The two were just barely able to avoid hurting themselves on the minecart tracks. The two looked up at the ceiling, barely able to make out much of the barely-lit area.

The tremor ceased after a while, and there was an uncomfortable silence. The group in the Expo looked between each other. Meanwhile, inside the dark mine tunnel, IF and Thomas looked away from the ceiling to check on each other.

"A-a-are you okay?" Thomas asked quietly.

IF slowly nodded, before the two of them could hear a muffled, but audible, "Iffyyyyyyy!" The voice sounded like Compa's.

IF's eyes widened, as she quickly got up, going closed to the collapsed tunnel to yell back, "I can hear you over there! I'm alright! Thomas too."

Thomas got up slowly, his eyes trying to adjust to how dark the place had gotten, as he walked along the track to check down the path once more. By this time, he had forgotten the phone which was dropped when he rushed to IF. IF noticed this, and picked up her phone.

Meanwhile, she could hear Nepgear yelling, "I doubt we can get through the tunnel now. Is there any way out of there?"

"No idea!" IF said as she used the phone's light to look around, "I can barely make anything out."

"Hold on, Ifsy! Uzume's gonna break you outta there!" Cracking her knuckles, Uzume geared up for a hard punch to the cracked wall.

"Wait, Uzume! Don't!" But Blanc's call was too late, as Uzume hit with a rather forceful hook punch. While it certainly was strong, leading to a rather minor tremor, the crack in the wall did not give way, and Uzume pulled her hand back to deal with the immediate aftermath of punching a wall.

"Ow... damnit!" Uzume said while trying to get feeling back in her fist.

"We're already pretty deep," Blanc explained, "The hallway here goes down into the earth and around to another part of the building. It's weird, I know, but this thing was built on old mines so there's that. You'd be punching solid ground at this point. I'm glad IF and Thomas sound alright, at least."

"We can't just leave them in there!" Uzume complained, "There's gotta be a way to get them out of there!"

"Whatever it is," IF said from the tunnel, "Don't cause any tremor like that again! I don't know how safe this tunnel is!"

Thomas squinted as he looked down the tunnel's path, and was surprised by what he saw. He made his way up, as Blanc spoke through the wall, "If we had time, I could get someone over to plow through here with no problems at all."

Thomas waved at IF a moment, to get her attention, before speaking, "I think there may be another way out. At the very least, there's some lighting down this way."

"Lighting?" IF paused, "Then perhaps this tunnel leads somewhere?"

"It's not like we have much to do here right now," Thomas spoke quietly, "And the others need to keep going."

"So, what should we do now?" Compa asked the party back at the Expo.

"Compa!" IF responded, before she composed herself and spoke out loud to the others, "Listen, all of you! You all need to keep looking around the building. Me and Thomas, we'll go through here... there may be a way out of here."

"It may be too dangerous!" Uzume protested, "There's no telling what sort of things are down there, if anything!"

"If you don't hear from us within a time frame, like a day or so," IF thought atop her head, "Blanc, get that guy over here. I'm assuming you're talking about that big guy from the other Lowee."

"Huh? Oh, right, yeah, we can get him in to break through, no problem!" Blanc said, before looking to the others, "We can still contact Ultradimension, right?"

"Yep!" Plutia said, "He would definitely love to help!"

IF continued, "Okay! Your priority right now are the twins and whatever's causing those tremors. We'll try to get in contact as soon as we get out." She looked at the phone, slightly worried that she couldn't get much connection from where they were.

"A-are you sure you'll be alright, Iffy?" Compa asked, with definite concern in her voice.

"I'm certain we'll handle whatever's here," IF said, "Please, go on without us. If we're all lucky, we might run into each other somehow."

"A-alright," Neptune wasn't even sure of this idea, "But you better be alright when we get back or I'm gonna be a really angry Nep!"

"I promise we'll be alright," IF said while holding a hand out over the wall they've been leaning on, "We got faith you guys will pull through. You got some of that for us here to be fine too, right?"

"Ah, I see the faith motif flag has been raised," Neptune remarked, before saying, "That better not be a death flag set, IF! Tommy, you and Iffy stay safe, got it?"

"Um, aye-aye, Neptune," Thomas said, though clearly he's nervous, "We'll be careful. You all be careful too!"

"Iffy, keep an eye on him," Neptune responded with an appeal to IF, "I'm worried he might even be afraid of the dark."

Thomas grumbled, turning away to look back down the tunnel's path. IF said, "Noted. We'll try to reestablish communications once we get anywhere."

As Neptune roused her party to continue on the quest, and IF said a few parting words to the others, Thomas went over to sit on the small slope downwards, wondering about the lighting much further down the path. It was only a small bit of lighting, with a bit of a blue tinge, but it was definitely there. He could make out the tracks on the ground at the bottom of the slope, and a little of the detail. Still, he was nervous, as he knew that lighting could belong to anything. His mind thought back to the robots he had been fighting, who had similar lighting, and he absently held his scabbard to his side.

He tensed up as he heard a voice beside him, "How are you holding up?"

He quickly looked to see IF waiting there, tilting her head. Upon seeing Thomas flinch, IF dropped her head and shook it, facepalming, "That bad, huh?"

Thomas turned his head back down, looking pretty out of it. He then sighed, "I need to get it together... I can't let fear overtake me."

"You just need to calm down," IF said, sitting herself down beside him and looking down the tunnel, "Just stay with me and we'll get through this. I'm not one to let one collapsed tunnel end this. I just need you to relax and keep focus on what we're doing."

"Finding our way out," Thomas muttered, as he loosened the scarf around his neck.

"And looking for the twins," IF noted, "Those footsteps might be someone else, but they certainly seem to fit with their shoe size. If they made it here, they mustn't be far away."

"O-of course," Thomas remarked, "After all, I did say it was possible."

"Exactly," IF said, pointing a little at him, "This was your idea, so it's your job to help out here, alright?"

Thomas nodded, before IF patted his shoulder, and said, "By the way, thanks for the save."

Thomas was confused, looking to IF quizzically, "Save?"

"From the collapsing tunnel? Back there?" IF gestured behind her. She then said softly, "You know, you're not as useless as you think you are." She then patted his shoulder, "Come on, follow me. I'll be the party leader for this. I promised Nep and the others we'll be alright, and I am **not** breaking any promise to her. Let's go."

Thomas blinked a bit, as IF flashed a smile and waved him over. He got up on his feet, and trailed behind her, still worried about what laid ahead.

On the plus side, he wasn't feeling as nervous as he was moments ago.


	24. ACT II: Lost In A Not-So-Lost Mine

**("Act II has been finished in advance, and am just taking my time with the intermission events. Regardless of how far I go, the Act should be ending by around the end of the month. The summer heat has been getting to me, so I'm trying to take it easy. Anywho, enjoy!" - Author who dislikes heat as much as Thomas hates the cold.)**

* * *

 **Party changed: IF, Thomas**

 **IF's Chirper icon appeared, stating: "Time for a little real-life Neplunker. Crap, why did I bring** **that** **up, of all things?"**

* * *

The Lowee Global Expo, days ago, when the firewall dropped, was attacked by the robots that had been attacking the CPUs and the rest of Gamindustri. With Lady White Heart investigating the firewall, the CPU candidates Rom and Ram rushed to save and evacuate citizens from the area. Unfortunately, they weren't not seen since the first day. There was still some hope that they were still okay, as the party of Neptune, Blanc, and others began their exploration.

Things, however, took a strange turn, as both IF and Thomas found themselves trapped in an old, abandoned mine located near the Expo. Hoping they could find a way out, and perhaps even find the CPU twins, the two humans moved down the tunnel, following the old minecart tracks.

IF turned off the light on her cell phone, as they could see some lighting ahead. Thomas was still uneasy, deciding to stay close to one of the walls. IF decided to follow along in that vein, staying in front with her katars at the ready. The slope down wasn't too steep, but they still shifted their body sideways to step down.

IF was a little concerned as she got closer, pondering that the robots that have been bothering them would be the source of the dim blue lighting. She saw something else instead, with small flickering lights buried within the walls of the tunnel ahead.

IF quirked an eyebrow as she put her katars aside for the time being, and went over to one of the flickering lights in the wall, "So, this is what we have to thank for the light." She waved Thomas over, and pointed it out to him, "Say, Thomas. You know what this is, right?"

Thomas blinked, walking over and turning his head to look at the light source. The source looked rather dim, and certainly was not cut into a simple shape, but he recognized what it was.

"A share crystal?" Thomas tilted his head, "This tunnel's got share crystals lining up? Have we gotten this deep underground?"

"This was an old abandoned mine," IF said, "These were probably the share crystals our older generations found way back when."

"Looks like it," Thomas hummed as he looked at it more closely, "Most of whatever share energy that was in it looks depleted now. I doubt it'll do anything else except be a little light."

"Yeah, I remember some stories of when these crystals were more abundant," IF said, looking around, "Once people found out more about share energy, there was a race to dig for more of these things."

Thomas muttered, "I remembered reading about it. There was a mad rush for the crystals, before we realized that we could just use our own faith to recover more share energy. But not before depleting a whole lot of the crystals here."

"Mining slowed down significantly afterwards," IF recalled, "The only safe way to get a working share crystal these days is through the Oracles' complex method of making them."

"The lifeblood of Gamindustri," Thomas said as he still looked at the crystal, "Share energy changed everything for people living here."

"And there's still an air of mystery surrounding it," IF said as she crossed her arms, before getting an idea. She unfolded her arms, and grabbed her katars, trying to dig out the crystal.

"Guh!" Thomas winced, "IF, what are you doing?"

"We need a light source, don't we?" IF said, being careful to chip around the crystal, "This crystal's not that bright, but it'll do. I can't use my cell phone all the time to light the way. That thing has a battery life, after all."

"I guess so," Thomas blinked, before seeing IF chip the crystal out of its place in the wall. She quickly grabbed the crystal before it could fall to the ground. She smiled at the nice catch she made, and held the crystal up for the both of them to look at. It was not huge, but was large enough to fit over the palm of her hand.

"A simple idea, but I'm glad I thought of it," IF smiled a bit at the light.

Thomas, meanwhile, looked a little puzzled, "Uh, IF? Is it me, or is that light a little brighter than it was a moment ago?"

"Now that you mention it," IF pondered, looking at the light, "It certainly wasn't this bright earlier. That's rather odd."

Thomas laughed a bit, "Maybe the crystal's taking a shine to you."

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that joke," IF winced, "Actually, I just thought of something. You try holding it, Thomas."

"Uh, alright," Thomas said, hesitating briefly but soon reached for the crystal. As IF gave the crystal over to him, its light grew much brighter, pulsing a little, but not enough to do anything else.

"Looks like that joke you made was incorrect," IF said quietly, "It seems to have taken a shine to you instead."

Thomas never really held a share crystal. It wasn't something he would come across at all during his travels. Working crystals were rare to find nowadays, save for those created by the Oracles, and even then, they would be used in very important cases, such as during the ASIC crisis. The most common crystals found would be the 'depleted' ones, drained of much of their share energy. So, this was all new to him, as he held the crystal delicately on his open palm.

"Remarkable," Thomas said in awe.

"Perhaps it's some of that resonance Histoire was talking about," IF stared at the pulsing light, "Even for a depleted crystal, there's still a tiny bit of share energy left."

Thomas glanced over at IF, and the two ended up looking at each other in the glow of the crystal. "It's... it's rather pretty," Thomas remained in awe as he looked at IF being illuminated by the crystal, sort of entranced by how nice everything looked.

IF seemed to be having a similar experience, but eventually the two realized at the same time that they were distracted, and both quickly looked in different directions. "We should refocus on getting out of here," IF said as she looked ahead.

"Right, I guess I should hold onto this," Thomas glanced back at the bright crystal.

"Hmm? Yeah, we'll make use of it when we need to. If you're not using it, put it in the inventory," IF said as she readjusted her coat, trying to get back to taking the lead in the two-person party.

Thomas nodded a little, not wanting to add anything, as he still held the crystal, though holding it more firmly so it wouldn't slip from his grasp. He waited for IF to adjust herself, then continued on their path.

IF remained to the side of the path as she looked down the minecart tracks. The metal was a little rusted, but for tracks that have been long been abandoned, they were still in decent condition. IF mentally noted this as she kept walking, the winding path turning around a corner, but did not arc up or down, unlike earlier. She wondered how far the tracks went, and where it would end. Her eyes darted between the tracks near her feet and as far as she could see them, aided by the lights in the wall, as well as the crystal held by Thomas.

As IF looked back to Thomas, she noticed the expression Thomas had on his face. He was certainly deep in thought, although he made sure to keep behind her. She slowed down to a stop, and tilted her head at the man, as if to ask if he was alright. Thomas blinked and stopped, briefly confused by the pause, before snapped out of his thoughts. He nodded slowly to try and reassure her. IF decided not to pursue this any further, leaving him back to whatever he was thinking.

After some more walking, IF could see less and less of the crystals, but it didn't get any darker. She saw some lighting ahead, as well as the tunnel opening out more. Her moment of relief dropped as she turned the corner briefly, and immediately bolted a few steps back. She held her hand back, motioning for Thomas to stop.

Looking puzzled, Thomas asked, "What is g-"

IF cut him off with by holding a finger up to her lip, "Shh... put the crystal away. It'll give us away."

Thomas snapped to it, putting the crystal into his inventory. He leaned back against the wall they were behind, and readied to unsheathe his weapon. IF leaned against the wall, ahead of Thomas, and slowly peeked back out at the open area of the mine.

The tunnel opened into a large clearing, with the tracks sloping down before winding into another tunnel. There were abandoned pickaxes and other tools laying about at parts of the clearing, and even an old minecart at the top of the slope. However, IF could see a pair of robots near the tunnel heading out, with the same design as the ones they've been dealing with since the crisis began. The glow of the lights on their bodies was enough to illuminate the clearing, and they appeared to be looking around.

"Great, those robots are here after all, and I was hoping not to meet," IF said quietly.

Thomas glanced over IF's shoulder, looking to see what she's peeking at. He grimaced, saying in a whisper, "That makes both of us. They got the only exit covered, it seems. What now?"

It was hard to make out if there anywhere else in the clearing the two could leave without going too far and being spotted, so IF had to think of something. She kept looking around, before she gestured to the minecart, "I have an idea, but we have to be really quiet and stealthy. We need to get in that minecart."

Thomas muttered, "I can do that. In fact, I can sneak in first. If this somehow screws up, I'll draw their fire while you go in."

"Hey, I'm the boss here," IF said, "And I say you stay back."

"Too late," Thomas said, seeing an opportunity as the robots turned their backs on the two, and he immediately moved on his feet, hunching his back as he snuck quickly behind the minecart. He quietly hid behind the cart as he made sure to keep out of sight when the robots shifted their position. IF shot a glare at him, as he looked back with a shrug, as though that was enough to apologize.

There was another bit of waiting, as the two kept an eye on the robots. Eventually, the robots turned their backs once more, and Thomas immediately began climbing into the minecart, moving to the front and ducking his body down so inside so he wouldn't be seen. IF silently sprinted to the back of the minecart, somehow not making much noise, and climbed into the back just before the robots turned their bodies once more. IF ducked down just in time to not be seen, and she glared once more at Thomas, saying quietly, "Ass."

"I guess I wanted the front seat," Thomas whispered, "Uh, sorry?"

IF shook her head, "Idiot, but hey, at least we got in."

"Okay, we're in," Thomas said quietly, "What's the next part of the plan?"

"Depends on if this thing can move," IF murmured, as she checked around inside the cart. She conveniently found a plank of wood left inside, and held onto it as she very slowly peeked her head out. The robots have not noticed the two in the cart yet, and soon turned their backs once more to check the exit. This gave IF time to experiment, and brought the plank of wood to the ground, gently pushing so to try and move the cart forward a bit. She felt the cart move just a little bit, so she immediately stopped and ducked back down.

"Okay, so this thing can still go. Good," IF said, "If we can time it right, we might be able to catch them by surprise, or maybe even speed by them."

Thomas hummed quietly, "That sounds like a plan." It was now his turn to slowly look out from the cart, although IF soon followed, holding onto the plank.

Thomas watched the robots, who were back to standing to the side, unaware of their presence, "When is a good time to start moving, do you think? Should we hit them as we pass by too? I want to make sure we know what we're doing before this goes down."

IF paused as he eyed the robots, before glancing around her. In the time the two looked around this odd clearing, they didn't take the time to look more up. There was another level to this clearing, and there was another pair of robots standing by on the second level. Unlike the other robots, these two eventually were aware of something happening in the cart, and hopped down, making their way over to get a closer look.

While IF noticed the two robots, Thomas was still looking at the others, waiting for IF to respond, "Well, I guess I can wait for your signal." He whispered.

"Too late!" IF exclaimed, as she got up from the cart and gave the two nearby robots a smack with the plank of wood. This caused them to fall over stunned, though it did little damage. Before Thomas or any of the robots could react further, IF scrambled to push the minecart with the plank on the ground. The wheels turned quickly, and the momentum from the sloping track, however small, was enough to make the cart move ahead in increasing speed.

Thomas was caught off-guard and slipped in the cart. Meanwhile, the other robots heard the noise from nearby and turned their bodies towards the speeding cart. However, as the cart neared, IF dropped the plank of wood inside the cart, grabbing her katars and quickly sliced at the robots while passing by. The robots were only able to get their weapons up before they were cut down.

The cart moved into the tunnel where there was a bit of lighting from some of the depleted crystals, but since it was picking up in speed, the lighting would just flicker as they passed by.

Thomas recovered from his slip, turning as he called in frustration at IF, "What in Gamindustri was that all about?"

"I had no choice! There were other robots nearby!" IF gave her reasoning, throwing her hands up as her own apology for the sudden move.

Wincing, Thomas looked behind IF as the cart sped down the track, "O-okay. As long as we've gotten away somehow. I guess the both of us have pushed ahead when opportunity arose."

"Speaking of rush," IF quipped, "Get down!" Thomas blinked, but quickly ducked down into the cart as the two hid in the cart, while two of the flying robots that were encountered previously flew past the cart, speeding towards the clearing.

As the cart exited the tunnel, it was now out in a much larger clearing, as the cart slowed down a little while moving up a section of tracks that rose high above the ground. This looked safe!

Thomas poked his head back out, glancing around, "Do you think those things noticed us?"

"I don't think so, but I'm sure there'll be more of those things around here," IF said while looking back up, before looking about, "We'll have to be careful, especially... in this open area? Oh dear."

Nodding, Thomas kept looking behind IF, surveying the rather hollowed out area. The clearing was large and has some lighting around, though not as pronounced as what they saw earlier. It was just enough for Thomas to get an idea where he could be, "We certainly aren't close to the Expo right now, if anything, we've must be going in a south, southwesterly direction, closer to the mountains-"

"Uh, Thomas?" IF tried to stop Thomas' train of thought. This time, it got his attention, given the last few times they're been acting quickly.

Thomas glanced back, and noticed, much like the way roller coasters tend to work, the track leading up peaked and was starting to slowly make its way to the next part, a deep dip downward. "Hold on tight!" IF exclaimed, as Thomas turned back and clung onto the front of the cart, bracing himself.

IF braced herself as well, with the cart descending quickly, with the two trying not to yell like it was an actual roller coaster, since they didn't want to announce their presence in case more robots were around. This did not mean that neither was reacting to the sudden change in speed. At least, IF managed to maintain some composure, while Thomas desperately clung to the front for dear life.

The two felt the cart starting to tilt one way, as the track stopped going down and was circling the long way around a large hill in the clearing. IF and Thomas leaned and tried to push the cart back onto the track so it wouldn't fall, before Thomas yelled, "Wait, there's a brake on this cart, right? There has to be!"

Even while leaning to the side, he looked around the front for any lever at the front. He found one just barely sticking out, and pulled at it so it would slow down the cart. This allowed the cart to get back on the track and keep turning, which allow Thomas to relax a little. The cart was still going fast, but not as insanely as earlier.

The two sighed some relief, even with the cart finishing the turn and continued down the track. "That was a close call th-" No sooner Thomas spoke a few words, the two were interrupted by a pair of jet robots flying past the two, zooming along the path towards yet another peak. Thomas grimaced, "Crap, they must've spotted us after all."

IF saw where the jets were planning to turn around to intercept them, right at the top of the peak. She saw a small window to act, and brought out the katars, "Move a little to the side, Thomas." Thomas obliged, as IF was ready to move.

Just as the jets made they way around, IF took a few steps inside the cart. She hopped a little on Thomas' knee, much to his dismay, then onto the front of the cart, before leaping up at the jets in front, twirling around like a tornado and unleashing a barrage of slashes at them. As the minecart started descending, IF timed her fall to coincide, managing to somehow land back inside the cart. IF had somehow destroyed them both with a jumping attack.

Thomas cringed as he still felt a little of that hop, but he went back to holding the front of the cart while speaking, "IF, that was insane. How-"

"This isn't my first minecart ride," IF muttered, "I can time my jumps quite well."

"Not your first?" Thomas blinked, "What, is this a common thing that happens on your adventures?"

"Not with Nep, no," IF corrected herself, "Usually when I wander Gamindustri in search of treasure and adventure!"

Thomas just didn't want to add anymore. He wasn't sure if there was any sensible person in this party of CPUs and humans at this rate. Besides, he was looking ahead, and what he saw next was more concerning.

"Uh, IF? Is there a way for this minecart to jump any higher?" Thomas asked.

"Minecarts don't jump," IF answered, "I don't know what video games you've been playing, but that's impossible."

"Then what do we do about **that?"** Thomas pointed out a section of the track ahead missing, leaving a gap that the cart would have to 'jump' across to keep going. Otherwise...

"Oh," was all IF could muster, before she looked closer, pushing her head over Thomas' shoulder to see, "Where the track breaks off, does it go upward?"

"Uh, I think so," Thomas squinted, trying to see off in the rapidly approaching distance.

"Then leave the brake alone, and hold tight," IF braced herself, "We need the momentum to 'jump' off and get on the other side!"

"Are you serious?" Thomas asked incredulously.

"Trust me!" IF exclaimed.

"Do I have a choice?" Thomas retorted.

"The brake won't be enough to stop in time," IF exclaimed, "Just be ready to lean back! Maybe we'll get some more air!"

 **"Maybe?"** Thomas again retorted.

"Leap of faith, Thomas!" IF said.

Thomas audibly gulped, looking ahead. He then made a quiet prayer to himself as he closed his eyes. He wasn't sure of any miracles, but he hoped he would somehow make this jump. He chose Neptune, as the goddess most associated with luck, to pray to for a safe landing here.

The small bump was enough to send the cart flying off the track, as IF pulled back and tried to lean the cart in a certain direction. Thomas, meanwhile, was bracing for the outcome of this risky move.

A loud thump and some rocking later, Thomas opened his eyes. The cart was wobbling a little but it managed to jump the gap and land on the next part of the track. IF was relieved to see they made the jump, though at the moment she was trying to keep the cart from falling off after all that. They lost some speed, but since nothing was chasing them, the cart was going at a rather leisurely pace.

"Thanks be to Neptune, we've made it," Thomas said in his relief.

"Why are you thanking her? I'm the one who steered this thing in mid-air!" IF protested, as Thomas looked back at her.

"I was praying for luck," Thomas said, before sighing once more in relief, "Though I will also thank you for getting us out of that. Uh... we **are** out of all that, right?"

IF moved her head over to one side to look ahead of Thomas. Though they were exiting the large clearing and heading through another, smaller clearing, the cart was on a collision course with what appeared to be another minecart, laid on its side in the middle of the track.

IF's eyes widened, and she scrambled for the brake. Thomas looked back to see the obstacle in front, and also grabbed for the brake. The two used both of their strength to pull as much as they could to slow the cart down. Sparks flew from the brake trying to stop the wheels. Although the cart slowed down, it wasn't enough to stop it from hitting the downed cart. Thankfully for IF and Thomas, all this did was stop their cart from moving further. Still, this jolted both to the front of the cart, with Thomas sandwiched between IF and the cart.

Thomas let go of the brake as he was squished. Lucky for him, his didn't break any bones, but he certainly felt some HP damage. IF, for her part, was cushioned from the fall forward, but she felt some bruising from the sudden movement.

IF soon pulled back from Thomas, and hopped out of the cart onto the more stable ground, "Thomas! Are you alright?"

Thomas said through his teeth, "Peachy. A little hurt, but nothing too bad." He might be underselling it, but considering what might have happened moments ago or earlier, this was minor.

IF offered some help, shrugging off her own bruises, "This is as far as we go, I'm afraid. Do you need help at all?"

"Give me a moment," Thomas said while leaning back from where he was sandwiched, taking a few breaths, "I'll get out in a bit here..." He said as he slowly moved to the side, and lifted himself over, though not without feeling some pain, "Ah crap."

"Come on," IF slid over to the side, and supported Thomas out of the cart, then walked slowly over to the laid-down cart they collided with, and sat him down beside it, "There we go. Take a moment to heal up."

Thomas muttered some incomprehensible agreement, checking his inventory for a small potion to use while he was getting his bearing. After a moment, and finding one potion, he said more audibly, "Th-thanks for the assist. I don't know how we managed after all that."

"I'm glad we're both okay," IF said as she knelt down, "I'm sorry about nearly crushing you there."

"No no, it's alright," Thomas shook his head, "You did so much during that insanity to help, anyway."

"That's a relief," IF sighed, standing up to look around the new clearing, hoping not to encounter any more problems while Thomas was using the potion. There did not appear to be any robots, and the lighting was rather dim, with very few depleted crystals around. IF managed to figure out a few parts of the clearing, however.

Thomas bleched after drinking down the rather generic potion, which didn't have a good taste. While the potion was doing its job of healing his bruises, he asked IF, "Where are we now, if you can make any guess?"

IF pondered as she looked back where they flew in from, tracing back the path the cart went in her mind. She then looked up, making sure there wasn't anything to surprise them from above. She did see some levels above them, with minecart tracks entering and exiting this clearing.

"We seem to have gone back," IF said, "Or at least, we've gone in a 180 from that turn. My best guess is that we could find our way back to the Expo if we move up from here."

"Sounds like a plan," Thomas slowly got up, feeling a little better after the potion took effect. He looked around, and hummed, "It might take a while if we go down these paths."

"We can skip most of that," IF said as she held a katar out to point at the wall, "I mean, if you're feeling up to it, we can climb up these levels."

"I think I can manage, somehow," Thomas said as he looked over the walls. Since they were all rough with dents and cracks everywhere, Thomas thought he could find areas to climb.

"I just want to be sure if you can," IF said as she was already at the wall, ready to climb, "We both have to stick together, so if you can't go up this way, we'll take the long path."

"Okay," Thomas slowly nodded, and went over to the wall, "Perhaps it would be best to alternate climbing one level at a time."

The two would slowly make their way up each level, with IF going first, and Thomas following after she was done. Sometimes, IF would stop a moment to chip a little more of the wall with her katars so to leave a very obvious place for Thomas to grab after she was done.

Even when she wasn't making the path easier for him, IF was still surprised with Thomas' quick climbing. IF saw Thomas struggling in the fights they've been in, and while he's improved since the start, he still was not too good. in contrast, Thomas had little trouble climbing at all.

"I guess I don't need to hold your hand or anything," IF muttered as Thomas climbed another level.

"You wanted to?" Thomas said, seeing a simply opportunity to tease.

"I've helped enough already," IF crossed her arms, unfazed by the tease. "Your climbing's pretty good, anyway," IF tilted her head at Thomas, wondering, "Are there any other skills you're surprisingly good at?"

"Uh, well," Thomas pondered a moment, "I, I don't think I do. I remember being complimented on my drawing skills once, but I haven't really done much to be sure."

IF quirked an eyebrow, "Uh... huh..."

Thomas shrugged in response, before saying, "In any case, I don't mind you continuing to help out. You've been a great help so far. Although, it means I have more of a debt to pay off..."

"Oh no," IF shook her head, "Do not consider this part of a debt. I'm just doing what we need to do to get out of here. Besides, save that kind of worship for the goddesses."

"Oh, that's a shame," Thomas grinned a bit, "I was going to start calling you Wind Goddess Iffy or something. Maybe I'll even use that nickname more openly, see if that name gets anywhere with the others."

"N-n-no," IF emphatically shook her head, "I would rather you not do that."

"Too bad," Thomas laughed a bit, "I'd pray for you to help next time we encounter those harsh winds again."

"I'm no goddess," IF stated, "And I don't need prayer to help out a friend in need, go it?"

"Oh, we're friends now?" Thomas asked, still in a bit of a teasing mood.

"We will be if you stop this conversation," IF retorted. This was enough for Thomas to smile, throwing up his hands in defeat.

The two continued on with their climbing until they reached the top level, and looked at both sides to see where they would have to go next. Recalling how the tracks continued after their stop, they followed in the same direction, assuming that the tracks were looping around as it went up each level.

Long story short, the two went down a new tunnel, wary of the next turn. Who knows just what could be around the next corner? Could it be another group of robots? Could it be another minecart scene? Could it be the way out?

Well, the chapter still has a few bits left to it, so we are not ending on that cliffhanger. The two moved to the side of the tunnel, with IF once more stopping to listen on anything. The first few times she's done this since they've begun, they've heard nothing. The third time was the charm, however? They could hear a few sounds of footsteps far ahead. Before the two reacted, the sounds quickly stopped.

The two eyed each other, and IF slowly brought her katars out. Thomas once more went in a guarded stance, standing behind IF. The two slowed down significantly, and tried to be extremely quiet as they weren't sure of what was ahead. Whatever they heard earlier, it stopped, and since they certainly heard it, they were certain something was there.

IF turned the next corner, carefully peeking her head out, when she saw a small glimpse of a moving weapon nearby. Upon seeing this, she leaped to action, moving to the other side of the tunnel and readying her attack. With IF ready, Thomas unsheathed his cutlass and made a small dash ahead, hoping to catch whatever was on the other side off-guard.

Instead, the two froze in position, as did their supposed opponents, who looked just as stunned as they were. Instead of robots, the two stumbled upon the two who everyone in the party was looking for at the Expo. The two small girls, decked in their typical snowy clothing, were apparently sneaking up towards them, with their pencil-like staffs ready in hand. IF clearly saw the one staff and was ready to move before she caught a glimpse of the two. Thankfully, neither group struck first.

"Ram? Rom?" IF was the first to speak.

The two groups dropped their guards, with Thomas slouching back and leaning against the wall, tired as he put his cutlass back. The twins reacted with surprise and relief. Rom, the short-haired twin wearing light blue, looked wide-eyed at IF and exclaimed, "Sis! It's... it's IF!"

"I can see that!" Ram, the long-haired twin wearing pink, spoke out, "IF? Is that really you? You're not some robot using wacky liquid metal tech, are you?"

"Wh-what? No!" IF protested, "I am not some robot! Wait, I'm supposed to be asking you two how'd you get here!"

"I think that really is IF," Rom said to her sister in that quiet tone of hers.

"Of course she is! I was just kidding, Rom," Ram smiled, before exclaiming to IF, "We've been dragging those dummy robots on a chase for the better part of a few days now! We wanted to mess with them so they don't hurt anyone else!"

"Woah, slow down there, Ram," IF said as she put her katars away, "How did you-"

Rom blinked to her side, finally seeing the other person leaning against the wall. Apparently Thomas was hardly seen in the dark corner he walked around from. Rom was initially scared, but soon recognized the figure, "Huh? Sis! There's someone else too! Tom? Why is Tom here?"

Ram, frustrated as she was interrupted from boasting about her exploits, soon was distracted by the new person as well, "Tom? What? That guy from Planeptune's here too?"

"Uh, hello, nice to see you again," Thomas said in a mild greeting, though he was taking the time to rest himself.

Ram was none too happy about seeing him. "Tom, you stupid dummy!" Ram exclaimed, pointing angrily at him and looking miffed, "This is a very dangerous place! You shouldn't even **be** here!"

And with that, **now** is the time we end the chapter! Next time, we will find out about how the twins fared during the crisis this whole time, and find out if the four can finally get out of these mines. At least, that's what I'm being promised.


	25. ACT II: Toasting A Toaster

"Tom, you stupid dummy! This is a very dangerous place! You shouldn't even **be** here!"

IF and Thomas had stumbled onto Rom and Ram, the twin sisters of Lowee that came to the Expo to deal with an incursion of robots. While Rom and Ram were relieved to see someone other than robots, Ram was taking exception to Thomas being around. Hence the opening line here being a repeat from the last chapter.

"Uh, well-" Thomas tried to explain what he was here for, but Ram was quicker with her retort.

"There's a reason we went around getting everyone out of the entire Expo!" Ram argued, "I can't believe you would be so stupid enough to still be around."

"Uh, Ram?" Rom interrupted, "I don't remember seeing him at all when we were getting everyone away. I did not see IF either."

Thomas grimaced as Ram asked, "So, why are we seeing them here now?"

"We all came here looking to find you both!" Thomas retorted straight at Ram, "We came to the Expo with Lady Blanc and other CPUs to come rescue you."

"Big Sis is here?" Rom looked excited, looking around the corner hoping to see her sister, only to find nothing, "But I don't see her..."

"We got separated from her and the others, when a quake collapsed a tunnel behind us. They are still in the Expo, as far as we know," Thomas explained.

"Is Tom telling the truth, IF?" Ram asked, slightly concerned. As IF nodded, Ram winced, "Drat. Now we're really gonna get it from Big Sis. We went after promising her to stay in Lowee."

"But we couldn't ignore what was happening at the Expo!" Rom pouted, "People were in danger!"

"You two can argue that with your sister when we get back," IF said, "We can't get back the way we came."

"The minecart path is down?" Ram grumbled, "Lame. We've been going back and forth, messing with the robots from the shadows. Like ninjas!"

"Really?" IF was bewildered by this, "How did you manage to do all this for all those days you were here?"

Ram grinned, happy to be able to boast about what they did, "We were prepared! We took a lot of non-peri... non-perisss... non... we took food that could last a long time!"

"Uh-huh!" Rom added, "We used that to keep our energy up, and took turns sleeping when we went hiding."

"That's right! We've been busy exploring the Expo and bringing down the robots' numbers!" Ram continued, "This mine was also connected to the Expo, so we've been using it to our advantage too!"

"I miss the good food back home," Rom complained a little, "We had so much canned fruit and oatmeal bars."

"It's a small price to pay to save everyone!" Ram rationalized, "We won't let those robots bully everyone else!"

IF finally chimed in, "That's all well and good, but everyone is worried about you, including the people you evacuated."

"Those people were scared to come help you," Thomas sighed, "But they have held themselves outside the Expo waiting for your return."

"What? They're still waiting?" Ram looked puzzled, "We told them to seek shelter and everything!"

"The firewall has been keeping some of them from going back home," Thomas said, "And those that live around here are still hanging out in the camp. Point is, they are still holding out for you."

"Firewall?" Ram blinked.

"That must be that weird thing we saw since we came here!" Rom answered, "Is that why we couldn't feel anything from Lowee?"

"You couldn't feel anything?" IF wasn't quite sure what Rom meant.

Thomas clarified, "You couldn't feel the share energy from Lowee, right?"

Rom nodded, "Both me and Ram had to be careful. We didn't feel so strong when we came here."

"I had a feeling something was weird about all this!" Ram was somewhat feeling better about knowing why she wasn't feeling a hundred percent, "I'm guessing Big Sis helped out so we can feel shares again?"

"She did help," Thomas answered, "But it's something the CPUs can do to take down this firewall that's affected all of Gamindustri."

"And the robots?" Ram asked simply.

"They're connected, yes," Thomas nodded, "From what we can guess, there's an old program on the fritz that's confused the CPUs with a viral outbreak. It doesn't make sense, but that's what we got so far."

"We can talk more about all this later," IF said, "Right now, we gotta get back to the Expo to meet with the others. We can't go back the way we came, though."

"Lucky you found us, then!" Ram beamed, "Because **we** can show you another way to get back there! It's actually close to the other side of the Expo!"

"But Ram!" Rom frowned, "That means we might have to fight the big robot again."

"Oh yeah, that stupid robot toaster's there, isn't it?" Ram said as she looked behind her, turning to look down the tunnel.

"Big robot? I don't like the sound of that one bit," Thomas said as he looked rather nervous about another prospect of a boss fight.

"Take it easy, Thomas," IF tried to calm him down a little, before looking to the twins, "The robot you mention, tell us about it, and is it possible to sneak around?"

"It's a giant blocky thing," Rom described it pretty vaguely, but tried to elaborate, "We had little trouble with most of the robots. Eventually we faced these harder robots, but we figured out they were weak against magic. But then, we faced this big robot thing, and it was really dangerous."

"It was like a combo of those harder robots we faced," Ram added, even as she continued looking down the tunnel, "This stupid dummy was always accompanied by other robots and would have its own magic. It was a stupid jerk and it kept bringing out more of its friends."

"We ran, since it was such a scary fight," Rom shivered, "But it's still around the area. We couldn't think of how to beat it on our own."

"We could sneak around that stupid thing," Ram said, "But we have to make sure it's in a big room we can be sneaky in."

"Okay," IF said as she went beside Ram, "Just help me lead the way around to where we can get back to the Expo. If we're lucky, we can avoid that robot until we meet with the others. That will make things much easier if they are involved."

"Agreed!" Thomas exclaimed, trying but failing not to be too enthused in avoiding a fight with this robot.

"Don't get us wrong," Ram said, trying to save some face, "We could totally demolish that thing on our own! It's just... a very big fight, and we weren't feeling good at the time!"

"I wanna see Big Sis again," Rom pouted.

"M-me too!" Ram grumbled, "Come on! Let's get our sis to help us finish these bullies off!"

"O-kay!" Rom complied simply, and the two led IF and Thomas with them down the tunnel, presumably on the way back to the Expo.

* * *

While IF was trying to stay at the head of the party, only for Ram to jump ahead so she could point the way, Thomas stayed in the back, still nervous about what could be ahead. He was not the only one feeling nervous, as Rom was keeping to herself, though walking beside him.

Trying to ease both of their nerves, Thomas said to Rom, "You must've been brave to have done all this so far."

Rom seemed surprised as Thomas spoke, then replied, "I don't know about brave. I am still scared."

"Oh," Thomas said quietly, feeling a bit awkward after that, looking downcast.

"You're still scared too, right?" Rom asked, picking up on Thomas' expression.

"Ah, y-yeah," Thomas admitted, not wanting to lie about something so obviously written on him.

"But, here you are," Rom said as she glanced over at him, "Why did you come here?"

Thomas frowned a little, trying to condense all that's happened into a short reply, only to answer, "It's, it's a long story."

"I like to hear that story when we have more time," Rom said quietly, smiling a bit, "But, even if we're scared, we can both face those fears together."

Thomas bit his tongue. Much as he would like to concur with the statement, he would also like to do that with a full party with everyone else. If this was anyone else he was talking to, he might point this out. However, that look of hope coming from Rom was enough to turn him against it. He just couldn't.

Rom then surprised him by saying, quite simply, "You were going to say something about facing those fears with the others."

Thomas sweatdropped, seeing as how he was so easy to read. It's not as though he was hiding his expression. Still, he was trying to hold back a little there. But no, it was as though Rom just knew what he would say.

"You had me figured out so easily, didn't you?" Thomas muttered.

Rom nodded, "Uh huh!" Thomas sighed, before Rom added, "I can see the same worry I have on your face."

Thomas glanced over to the people ahead of them, before looking back to Rom. Taking another deep breath, Thomas said quietly, "Then you know... we'll have to make sure we succeed."

"We can do it," Rom said in her attempt to assure him, though it was also to help herself, "The others count on the both of us."

"You know, Rom," Thomas said as he laughed a bit, "I was going to eventually try and assure you, but it seems you were more capable."

"Eheh," Rom smiled, "You're too slow."

"Hey! Sis! Tom! Get over here!" Ram spoke in a sharp whisper behind her, as she and IF was heading out of the tunnel. She was waving the both of them over to follow close behind her. Thomas and Rom turned their focus to Ram, and followed behind, as IF turned her head over to look around a corner.

"Checking," IF noted to the three in a hushed tone, before motioning forward, "Coast is clear." She stopped to look again, "We must be getting back to the Expo."

Thomas shivered a bit, "I can feel some of the Lowee cold weather again. We must be nearing the surface."

Ram looked out from the corner, before hopping out, speaking normally, "Looks like that dummy robot isn't here. Usually, me and Rom see it around this part."

The area was a simple clearing, similar to the area IF and Thomas were in when they found the minecart that sent they rode on earlier on. One major difference was that there wasn't another level above them. The other major difference was the amount of crates laying about on the side. The crates undoubtedly saw better days when the mines were in use; however, they made for some pretty decent cover in the clearing.

"We'd hide behind the crates," Rom said in an aside to Thomas, "And let it pass by before moving on."

"Is that so?" Thomas hummed in thought to himself, then asked Rom, "Is this the only place you could get by it between here and further down?"

"Uh huh," Rom said quietly, "There are some areas further down we could hide, but this is a good spot. They never check by the crates somehow."

"IF!" Ram exclaimed, trying to get her attention, "We might be able to avoid it if we see it coming this way. We gotta be sneaky! If we see that thing between here and the Expo before meeting the others, we gotta get back here."

"We'll keep that in mind," IF said, "By the way, if we encounter anything, how are you two good for fighting-wise?"

"We've fought quite a bit," Ram answered, "But so far we've managed. We're running out of recovery items, though."

Thomas blinked, and checked through his inventory, while Rom added, "We still have plenty of healing grass, but not a lot of items to restore magic."

"That... could be a problem," Thomas winced as he scrambled through his list of items.

"Problem?" IF eyed Thomas, seeing the concern look on his face, "Something the matter?"

Thomas frowned, "Uh, well, I seem to have forgotten to buy more SP items during our last stop. I only have three SP Chargers left."

"Only three?" IF blinked, "Really?"

"We haven't stopped anywhere since Randome City, and I don't really use much SP to begin with," Thomas looked more worried, "But, since the twins are heavy magic users, and probably have the best shot against those elemental robots..."

"Oh," IF muttered, "That would be a problem if we got into battle."

"Here," Thomas took the SP Chargers from his inventory and gave them to Rom nearby, "You, Ram, and IF will need to conserve these."

"Um, okay!" Rom said as she took the Chargers with her.

"With that out of the way, let's hurry and get out of here," Thomas was still feeling uneasy, "I'm sorry, I should've bought more SP items."

"Geez, quit being such a downer," Ram complained, "It's still three more than what we had."

"We only recovered SP by sleeping," Rom clarified a bit, "It's why we had to be sneaky around here. We didn't have enough magic to do everything."

"Oh," Thomas was surprised by the responses he got, "A-alright."

"Shall we be off, then?" IF tried to get everything back on track.

"Let's go, Rom!" Ram cheered up immediately, and turned towards the tunnel, moving out.

"Right, Ram!" Rom rushed ahead, carrying the Chargers with her before showing them off to Ram as they walk on together.

"We should probably keep following them," IF said to a confused Thomas, "That means we go too. Snap to it, Thomas."

"Guh, wait up!" Thomas came back to Gamindustri and quickly followed behind the girls.

* * *

Although the tunnel continued on, the four could see a lot better thanks to the better lighting from farther down. They were getting closer to the Expo, Ram kept telling IF and Thomas, as they followed what seemed like a very long and winding path. Despite this, there was optimism, as they had yet to encounter any of the robots.

After what felt like a long time, the group could see the end of the tunnel, as well as a hole in the wall. The tracks ended a while back, but apparently the tunnel led to a dead end, at least until recently with the quakes shaking things up.

Unlike the entrance IF and Thomas went through, this was a rather large hole in the wall that led directly to a part of the Expo building. Thomas could identify it as such as the area looked more like a freezer than the actual mines they were going through. The Expo kept the same Lowee theme of snow and winter weather throughout most of its architecture, and the Expo was no different.

Ram looked around the empty tunnel, than bolted towards the hole in the wall, "We're here! See? It wasn't so hard after all!"

"Ram, hold up, there may be something beyond the hole in the w-"

"It should be fine," Ram said as she looked into the area, checking both ways before bounding, "See? Not a problem at all!"

"If Nep were here," IF muttered, "She would say this would've set up a flag by now."

That's because Neptune watched too many television shows and anime! No matter, it seemed IF was right to be concerned, as it was at that moment that Ram heard the sound of rockets being shot at from the other side of the room. Ram, being the small target, dove down to avoid a rocket to the face. Instead, it flew off to the other side of the room she was in and exploded.

"I hate it when even hypothetical Nep is right," IF said as she unsheathed her blades.

Ram got up soon after, irritated more than anything, turning to face whatever attacked her, and bringing out her staff, "Seriously? Attacking me with rockets to start? Ugh, lame! Now you just gave away your hiding spot!"

Getting a better look, she realized what she was up against, as it was none other than the giant toaster itself. At least, that was one way to describe it. Like the rover Thomas encountered in the sewers, it came in on wheels. However, its shape was more of a block or cube than anything, with metallic ports along each of its sides. These ports would open up to fire rockets like the ones fired a moment ago, or to bring out other weapons, such as a machine gun turret. A notable thing, in addition, was the strange lever on its side that moved up and down on its own. It didn't seem to have a purpose, but it certainly made for the visual of a moving toaster. Finally, to finish off this description, this ticking toaster has strange vents at the top of its, er, shape. This is where the strange machine casts whatever magic spells it was equipped with.

All in all, it's truly a... a... what am I looking at, exactly?

"It's a stupid looking toaster, is what it is!" Ram was kind enough to inform me of how it looked. Yes, I suppose that is true, but really, who or what would design this kind of thing? Are we really going to add this thing to the bestiary? I'm gonna have a talk with the author after this chapter's over. Now, where was I? Oh yes, by the way, Ram, you may need to look beside them. There's a couple of robots nearby moving in.

"Huh?" Oh shoot, I distracted Ram too much, as two of the humanoid robots jumped in on the target, missing with their blades but causing a few shockwaves which knocked back our young heroine a few feet. She barely made it to her feet when she was attacked again.

This time, Ram saw a quick blur get in front of her as someone rushed in to stop the robot's attack. **"Raster Interrupt!"** Thomas had the courage to actually say the name of the move, and parried the robot's move, knocking it back and retaliating with a quick slash at it, this time actually dealing some damage. Knowing this was not enough, Thomas moved quickly to the next part of his attack, turning and finding a less-metallic area to kick at, knocking the one robot into its friend and pushing them away. No, that was not a new move. He just simply pushed the two back.

Following this display, Thomas went into a guarded stance, seething through his teeth, "Back! Off!" Once again, Thomas showed some fire to start off his part in the fight. It slowly petered off, as he saw the damaged robots get back on their feet, and Thomas noticed the giant toaster in the back of the room he rushed into.

"Uh, please?" Thomas asked the robots rather nicely to perhaps reconsider whatever programming they had. This did not go so well, as the robots switched their hands from wielding blades to using turrets. This time, it was Ram who came to the rescue, pulling Thomas away from the incoming fire, and pulling him with her behind some cover.

"Are you crazy? Because I'd believe it with what you did there!" Ram scolded Thomas for his move.

"Whatever it is, sure, we'll go with it," Thomas lamented, keeping his body down under the small little wall that made for their cover, "You have the best shot of taking down whatever that is. Can't have you hurt badly or worse in the opening moves!"

"Okay Crazy Tom," Ram continued, as she turned to get her staff ready for a spell or two, "Just stay outta my way. I'll blast 'em but good!"

Ram waited a moment for a pause in the fire, before hopping over the wall and throwing out some fire spells at the nearby robots. As they weren't the elemental robots, these ones were quickly scorched by Ram's rapid fire.

As this was going on, IF and Rom were trying to come up with a way to get a jump on the enemies, when they heard the sound of gunfire approaching behind them. IF's eyes widened as she saw some robots from the mines catching up to them.

Fleeing from gunfire, the two ran into the room, avoiding Ram's current rampage and diving behind the currently safe cover where Thomas was. Soon, however, Ram saw the other robots coming in from where IF and Rom fled, and fell back to cover.

"This is really bad," IF growled, "The timing's too perfect. Those robots coordinated all this. They must've waited for us to move all this way just so they could corner us."

"Ram, we've gotta do something!" Rom said as clung to the cover ahead of her, "This is scary."

Ram patted her sister's shoulder, "Come on, Rom. We can do this. We have to. Everyone in Lowee is counting on us!"

Thomas shivered some, trying to push back at the fear that would cause him to run in a situation like this. However, since he and the others were cornered, this couldn't be done. "IF," Thomas said quietly to IF, "Can you reach the others via the phone now?"

"Hmm? Right," IF pulled her cell phone out, and tried to contact Nepgear's number, "I'll see if I can reach them. I'll tell them we're on the other side of the Expo. Uh, we are, right?"

The gunfire continued for a little longer, as Ram nodded an affirmative to IF. As IF did that, Thomas took some deep breaths, "We need to buy some time. Rom, Ram, save your SP and magic for attacks and focus on that massive... toaster... thing!" Thomas unsheathed his cutlass once more, and closed his eyes, murmuring to himself a few words.

"Wait," IF scrambled to finish her text as she tried to ready herself for combat, "You're not going out there alone!"

"Join me when you're ready, I'll be trying to keep them off our magic users. I believe you'll do fine," Thomas exhaled once more, and clung to his cutlass as his eyes opened, "Worry not for me."

Before the three could interject, Thomas hopped onto his feet, quickly moving to one corner of the room, trying to draw the attention of the nearby robots. It was easy to call attention to yourself when you're flailing about wildly and desperately trying to dodge bullets. This was extremely insane for Thomas to do, but because of his higher AGI stat, he was able to dodge most of the fire.

This didn't mean he was not feeling some damage, however. As he charged like a maniac at a group of the robots, swinging his cutlass at one aggressively, he found himself ganged up by the others, who smashed his back with a couple of well-timed punches and kicks, softening him up for the robot on defense to counter with an uppercut, sending him reeling and to the floor. The other robots that were firing at the cover paused to watch this spectacle, as Thomas was given a couple of more kicks.

Finally, after doing all she could to get the message out to Nepgear, IF leaped over the cover and dashed right in to intervene. The pause in the gunfire clearly helped with that decision, as she knocked a few of the robots in the way and slashed at the one that was kicking Thomas around.

"Was wondering when you'd help," Thomas winced as he got up.

"Seriously, stop doing that!" IF scolding him, "This is not a time to get yourself killed."

"I have no intention," Thomas said simply as he pulled out a Nep Bull, "I may not have brought much SP Chargers, but I stocked up on so many Nep Bulls, it's time to put them to use."

"Really?" IF cringed, turning around to slash at some of the nearby enemies, "Drinking all those things is not good for the body."

"Neither is getting beaten up by robots," Thomas coughed a bit before using his first of what would be many Nep Bulls. The Nep Bull was designed to be effective healing medicine, and it was. However, it had the unfortunately side effect of not being terribly tasty, and more potent versions tasted worse.

"You have a point," IF said, "So, what now?"

"We keep them away from the twins," Thomas refocused himself, deciding to be more methodical and less, er, insane, "We take on the closest ones, let them attack the big guy. Heal with items."

"Sounds better than charging in wildly," IF muttered, "Maybe we should start now before the robots can finally retaliate?"

"Uh, right!" With that, the battle was officially underway, with IF and Thomas going to the front row. Thomas was still being rather aggressive during the opening rounds. Although the twins were certainly stronger than he was, he couldn't let the robots get in the way, especially if it meant taking down the boss here. Plus, even with three SP chargers, it might not be enough to take down the boss and these enemies.

Thomas was getting some attacks in to start, and jumped in with a slash on a bot. Unfortunately, he was still not particularly strong in such stats, so he braced himself for the eventual counters. IF, on the other hand, made sure to keep close to Thomas so he wouldn't be stupid to get overwhelmed again.

Rom was initially hesitant, as she wanted to heal the humans out in front. It was only when Ram noted their goal that Rom pulled back, and focused with her sister as they began their transformations into their CPU counterparts.

This move stirred the robots back into action, and even the giant toaster of doom was starting to whir. In its first move since wheeling itself in, its gun ports opened and fired several rockets at each of the heroes. The rockets were not terribly fast, but they all had to dash away from their trajectory, as they dropped down and exploded, destroying the cover they once hid behind. Probably should've done that earlier when your friends were shooting, Mister Toaster. Not that I should give the bad guys advice.

As that was happening, another wave of robots came in to replace the ones lost, making things rather frustrating for our heroes, who were bogged down into a fight of attrition. IF and Thomas would tackle on the new reinforcements while the twins would fire bolts of magic at any enemies that got close, or the toaster whenever they had a clear shot. Rom and Ram used Eternal Force Blizzard as their go-to for their shot, trying to damage the various gun ports and anywhere they think could damage the boss. While they inflicted some damage, the toaster - are we really calling it that? - anyway, the boss was awfully sturdy, and on occasion it would fire a couple of lightning bolts or fireballs at the nearby humans.

For Thomas, this was a horrifying experience. In addition to fighting for his very life on the front, he was acting very aggressive. He **wanted** the enemies to focus more on him, and braced for every punch, kick, bullet, or magic that was flung his way. Each hit hurt a lot, and he was already sick of the taste of Nep Bull as he used his fifth one. If he wasn't sure his body was aching, his stomach sure was telling him. Yet, despite IF's advice to let her take point, Thomas continued to push to the front, stubbornly taking the role of tank in this battle, even as his hit points were not extremely high. He had the inventory ready, and he wasn't going to let any one of those bastards touch even a hair on the twins. Was he being overly protective? Most likely, yes. It certainly made him understand more of how Blanc was handling some of these battles. In any case, he was barely able to hold the line against the seemingly endless waves.

Just as Thomas thought things were starting to slow down, with the waves of robots stopping, another wave came in. It was something that he feared would happen, with a few of the humanoid robots coming in with various elemental 'armor', from flames to ones made of rock, and even one with an icy coating.

Thomas slumped his shoulders, "It's one thing for a boss battle, but a gauntlet like this?"

"They really wanted to take us down," IF tried to get her second wind, which she had been doing for the last few rounds.

"We're gonna need elemental magics against those things just to slow them down," Thomas grumbled.

"We got another problem, Crazy Tom," Ram exclaimed, still using the new nickname she just gave him, "We've run out of SP Chargers already, and our magic's dropping down."

"What? Now? We barely even damaged that boss!" Thomas said incredulously. There was damage at the gun ports, but the giant toaster of magic doom was still lumbering around, peppering the area with lightning bolts and fireballs every now and then.

"We don't know how long we can keep going," Rom said, "We might use a few elemental attacks from our staffs, but they won't be powerful enough."

"We still need more time," Thomas said, his fear evident, "We need to hold them off long enough for the others to arrive. We got to..."

"We don't even know where they are right now," IF noted, "They might be dealing with the same issues as we are, fighting wave after wave of these things."

"We need some more time, that's all," Thomas said to himself, trying to calm down but it didn't seem to be working. He closed his eyes once more, falling back a bit to try and refocus, breathing. His panic was simmering down, but he needed to think of something, anything to stop this from getting any worse.

"Uh, Thomas?" IF jumped in front of him to stay on guard against the approaching enemies, "This is no time to be praying right now. Thomas?"

Looking back, IF could see Thomas looking rather calm with his eyes shut and holding his hands together, grasping the blade in front of him. The odd moment of peace was interrupted as Thomas soon opened his eyes, confused, "Uh? Sorry, I spaced out there, what was that?"

IF sweatdropped, "We're still in the middle of battle."

Thomas eeped, resuming his stance, "Crap! Sorry! I don't know what came over m-"

 **"Ice coffin!"**

Thomas' panic was interrupted by the twins both shouting for their signature ice attack, leaping at the nearest elemental robots and unleashing a rather potent burst of ice. Even for the one robot who was encased in ice, it was a very powerful shot. Even Rom and Ram couldn't believe the amount of damage they inflicted, as the two robots they targeted were quickly vaporized.

"What the hell was that?" IF said, and while she was usually careful with her language in front of the twins, this time she couldn't hold back her tongue.

"Woah! I didn't know Crazy Tom had a little skill like that!" Ram said, fairly certain of what just happened.

"Huh? Me? What?" Thomas was puzzled, as was IF.

"I felt a spell from Thomas too," Rom added, "It restored a bit of our SP, kinda like when I use the Refreshments skill!" For those unfamiliar with the skill, Rom had a skill that, while using some of her SP, would allow others within an area to receive some. Pretty useful for someone with a big mana pool as Rom.

After listening to my explanation, IF shook her head, "Is that what his praying did? Brought back some SP?"

"You saw the damage we did! Boom!" Ram emphasized with a laugh, "Hahaha, let's keep that up and we can turn this battle around in no time!"

"Praying? I was kinda meditating, really, to calm my nerves," Thomas admitted, feeling odd about the whole thing.

"More meditating then, please!" Ram said happily, "I have a lot of pain I wanna dish out!"

"Pretty please?" Rom pleaded, as though Thomas actually needed some extra pressure to stand still and meditate.

"Uh, well-" Thomas hesitated, looking at the still-approaching enemies.

"Let **me** handle the front row," IF insisted, "Like I've been trying to tell you the whole battle. You want to rely on us, right? So, let us do our damn jobs!"

"Uh, IF? Language?" Thomas noticed this time around.

At this point, IF didn't care, "Just make with whatever you were doing... uh, you are capable of doing that again, right?"

Right on cue, a message box appeared indicating that Thomas had learned the new move **"G. Meditation"** , complete with fancy level up music.

"Your moves have silly names!" Ram teased.

"I noticed," Thomas winced at the new move's name. Really, the name would be fine, but that G at the beginning was going to pester him. Regardless, Thomas sighed, "Alright, I guess I'll keep meditating?"

"Right! Let's mop up these robots!" Ram cheered excitedly.

"O-kay!" Rom said with a bit of flair as the two White Sisters began their attack on the other robots.

"Hey!" IF complained, "You two stay behind me, you got that? Why won't anyone let me take the front in this battle?"

IF eventually managed to take the front, as Thomas closed his eyes and began to use this new move. It was strange using a move that was apparently charging up the CPUs' magic, especially since all he was doing was trying to relax. This was all too weird for him. On the plus side, if anything, he didn't have to take a punch to the face as often.

Well, he thought about that as he incidentally got a punch in the face from a random robot that wanted to interrupt his meditation. Ow.

"Crap!" IF scrambled back and rescued Thomas from a further beatdown. Thomas winced, grabbing yet another Nep Bull to use just in case he was ambushed once more. Perhaps he could find a way to meditate while his eyes were wide open, so he can avoid getting surprised like that.

With a quick apology, IF returned to the front, making sure for certain that there were no stragglers behind to bother Thomas' meditation. The toaster was not going to take this... lying down? Sorry, that line nearly broke me there. The boss continued to fire what it could up front. However, it would soon recognize Thomas' meditation in effect and how it was turning the battle against it somehow. Thus, it switched its targeting from the twins and IF straight to Thomas, aiming for a launch of rockets straight at him.

IF panicked, darting back as quickly as she could, "Thomas! Keep meditating! I'll do what I can!"

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, but kept his eyes shut as he tried to use his move. IF was starting to wonder if this new move was worth the trouble, even as Rom, well really Ram, was enjoying the mayhem she was creating with her boosted magic. Ram laughed and even made some sound effects to emphasize the crash of her ice magic.

IF shook her head and looked back at the slow-moving rockets heading for Thomas. Thinking quickly, she pulled out some old kunai blades she would keep as spare blades, and threw them right at the rockets. The impact was enough to set them off, exploding in air as IF shielded herself. Thankfully for her, none of that hit her or Thomas.

The boss wasn't done, however, charging up some electricity and readying a magic bolt attack. IF could see that it was not holding back, even as the twins were focusing their fire on at the giant toaster. IF dashed and grabbed Thomas just after he finished his last meditation, yanked behind IF who pulled him behind her as the bolt crashed down where Thomas had just been.

Thomas, a little tired after the last meditation, barely had any time to react to the near-hit, as IF stopped and let go of the disoriented man. "That was close, phew," IF sighed, "This is giving me more of a workout than the actual fight so far."

Thomas blinked, "I think I hit my limit on meditations."

"There's a limit?" IF asked, as she glanced back to see Rom and Ram continue to blast the boss with their ice magic.

"Uh, well, more like I just ran out of SP, myself," Thomas winced, "The move does use a bit of my SP to fill theirs up, after all."

"We've got to warn them!" IF said, as she took a few more deep breaths, before beginning her rush back to the front, with Thomas following.

Once IF and Thomas met with the twins, IF was quick to tell them, "We're out of SP. Thomas can't do any more meditations."

"What? Lame, and I wanted to finish this stupid thing off!" Ram was frustrated, namely as she really did feel she was getting close. The boss has plenty of damage all around, with parts of the boss close to breaking open. Unfortunately, none of them were physically strong enough to break it apart on their own.

Just before they could debate more, yet another wave of robots, though of the more vanilla variety, arrive as reinforcements.

"They still keep reinforcing," Thomas complained, feeling rather weak at this rate.

IF, trying still to catch her breath, frowned, "I don't know if we got any more in our tanks to keep going."

Rom looked worried, but still held her staff at the ready, "We can still do this? R-right?"

There was an awkward pause, and Thomas could only close his eyes to pray this time.

 **"Where are they?"**

The sound of an exasperated voice brought the group out of it, as the reinforcements were actually those retreating from IF's call for backup. The Planeptune CPUs soon came into the room to give chase, but it was Lady White Heart of Lowee who was the most vocal, and most noticed. She charged in, full CPU form, and tore through many of the robots with her weapon, dragging some of the defeated robots with her. With a quick look around, she noticed the boss, and threw the robots right at the thing, providing a big dent.

"Big Sis!" Rom and Ram were overjoyed to see their sister, even as Blanc was in a particularly angry mood.

"In a moment, you two! I got a score to settle with that... I don't know what to call that thing, but it needs to die!" White Heart put off the impeding reunion, charging at the large block of machinery and hitting it with her Zerstorung. The boss, weakened by magic over a long period, was busted open by the strong physical attack.

"Nice going, White Heart!" Purple Heart had flown in to take the spotlight, readying her blade, "Now to finish it off it off with Neeep-"

 **"Stand aside!"** White Heart shoved Purple Heart away, and took the center stage, staring down the boss, **"You!** Not only did I have to endure wave after wave of your stupid contraptions, I had to endure not being with my sisters throughout this entire ordeal! You and your friends have been messing with my nation, my friends, my sisters, and everyone else I care about! You've pissed me off, and I've been meaning to vent this entire act! **Now die!"**

Blanc has been angry quite often in the past, but it takes a bit to get her really upset. Having waited long enough, White Heart busted out her Hard Break EXE move, a punishing move where she would pummel the enemy with plenty of spin. At one point during this move, she would do an actual hammer throw like an Olympian, tossing her massive weapon at the boss, keep running, grab her weapon as it bounced back, and jump in with a final blow with almost as much spin as earlier. Seriously, it's a surprise Blanc doesn't get dizzy from the whole thing.

Suffice to say, the final blow was enough to set off the chain of explosions that would finally destroy the giant toaster monstrosity. Good riddance. That boss was an eyesore. Plus, I can finally stop talking about how the party fought a magic robot toaster.

The few remaining robots fled through the mines, leaving our heroes to stand down. The CPUs returned to human form, as Thomas sat down on the ground to rest, slouching his shoulders and nearly falling over from exhaustion.

Blanc exhaled after having properly vented against the boss, as she heard the small footsteps of her sisters behind her. Rom and Ram were both a little nervous in approaching her, but they both resolved to speak out to her.

"Big Sis... we're sorry for leaving you alone for so long," Rom was the first to speak out.

"Yeah," Ram added, "We had good reason to, though. We had to deal with this problem ourselves! We wanted to be sure everyone was sa-"

Before Ram could list off their rationale for dealing with this quest, Blanc turned around and, kneeling down, grabbed both twins in her arms for a large embrace. Despite her efforts to hold back her emotions, she was clearly shaken by the whole thing, with tears welling up in her eyes.

"You two don't have to say anything," Blanc said quietly, "You did what a CPU would have to do in a situation like this. I am very proud to have you both as my little sisters. Most importantly, we're here now, and I am so glad to see you both safe and sound."

There was a quiet pause, before the two sisters returned the embrace, crying with joy as the Lowee CPUs shared their tender reunion.

"Once again, good triumphs over evil, because evil was kinda dumb!" Neptune said in a bit of triumph to no one in particular, although she left the Lowee girls alone to hang out with Nepgear and Uzume.

"It's so heartwarming to see them together again," Nepgear beamed, "And I guess now with the boss cleared, those earthquakes will stop now."

"Kinda weird that the boss didn't use that much earth attacks, or quakes," Neptune noted, as if she knew what it was doing.

"Perhaps it was just leading a group of elementals making an annoyance," Nepgear though about it for a moment, "Either way, looks like we scared them off."

"I mustn't cry at this," Uzume held her hands together as she watched the three sisters hug it out, "But it's just so freakin' adorable!"

Meanwhile, another hug was taking place, as Compa leaped and embraced IF from behind, "Iffy! I'm so glad you're okay!"

IF flustered, as she could feel Compa's embrace, as well as Compa's ample chest pressing against her back, "O-of course I'm okay! Still, I am relieved to see all of you here. It was getting kinda bleak near the end there before you all showed up."

"I bet you did a lot of work too!" Compa exclaimed, "You feel all kinds of sore, Iffy!"

"Well!" IF said, trying not to sound like she's boasting, but Compa knew better, "I did have quite a workout through this whole thing. Sneaking around, having a minecart adventure, taking down rockets..."

"Sounds like you gave it your all!" Compa smiled happily at her best friend, "I think I might have to offer something to help your aching body, though. How does a nice massage sound?"

"M-massage?" IF flustered, "A-are you sure that's something that would help?"

"I guess I wasn't really prescribing anything," Compa admitted, "But I thought you needed a little care. You're going to say no?"

"N-n-no, I mean that's not it!" IF corrected herself, "I wouldn't mind at all!"

Compa giggled, holding IF close to her, "I'm so glad! I'll finally be able to try out these new techniques I read about! This'll be great practice!"

"Oh! Great! Glad to be your guinea pig," IF said weakly, slowly wondering if she was going to regret agreeing.

Finally, Plutia walked over to check on Thomas, who had been curled up on the ground, trying to relax after that battle which took quite a bit out of him. Plutia tilted her head at the strange man, and then, politely, gave him a gentle-

"Poke~!"

Only for Thomas to fall over on his side. Plutia was puzzled by this reaction. He should be okay, riiiight?

Yes, he'll be fine. I think?


	26. ACT II: Finale In Lowee

**("Alright, this is it! The end of Act II! Hope you enjoyed it! I'll be taking a little break now, as my brain's been fried of late, but I shall return! No, really, I will. This is something I'm trying to push myself to complete, so yeah... Anywho, the Intermission events will be coming out once I actually start writing up Act III, so keep that in mind. And, as per usual, any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Take it easy!" - The brain-fried author of this hackery.)**

* * *

The last few hours after the end of the battle were kind of a blur for Thomas. Pulling himself back up, he followed the party through the Expo, and back to the camp where many citizens were relieved to see the twins back in the fold. With robot activity screeching to a halt in Lowee, the citizens felt cause to celebrate with some festivities in Lowee proper. Financier welcomed everyone back with warm greetings, and an overenthusiastic hug for the twins, with Ram feeling a little embarrassed.

The night came as IF was contacting Histoire to note their victory, and Histoire said tonight they should get some rest and relaxation. There was much to do left in Gamindustri, but liberating a nation from the firewall was cause for some celebration. A large feast was held near the Basilicom with many of Lowee's finest cooks making goods for everyone, from CPU to human, to enjoy. There were tons of food to choose, from large steaks to the sweetest of desserts. The cold of Lowee certainly felt warm as everyone got together for food, song and dance.

If you're wondering why this is going by so fast, that's because Thomas was too tired to have any of that. Even though, he would argue, that IF and the twins did a whole lot more during the battle, he was feeling exhausted. There was just no celebrating with him that night. An unfortunate thing, as that could've led to some interesting events, but we can't all have nice things. That adventure from the minecart to the boss battle was enough to drain him, if only mentally. Plus, he certainly was going to swear off Nep Bull for a while.

Financier was kind enough to offer Thomas a spot in a guest room at the Basilicom. He quietly excused himself from the festivities, saying he'll see them in the morning, and headed off to the room to rest in the bed. If there was another thing Thomas liked in Lowee besides the scenic view, it was the beds. For some reason, the beds were extremely fluffy. Maybe it was just fitting in with the theme of the nation, but it made for a more comfortable rest. Now if only he could get some decent sleep.

The night went by quickly, with Thomas finally getting some long shut-eye. Despite that, however, he didn't quite feel right as he woke up. He didn't remember much of anything, save for a small murmuring. He probably overheard someone outside, or he was dreaming something that he couldn't remember now. All that he could recall was that the voice sounded familiar. It was hard to tell who, though. Being tone deaf, it was a little more difficult to pinpoint it. It just sounded familiar to him. In any case, he would dismiss it for the time being, as he slowly stirred from his sleep.

It was early in the morning, with the sun dawning on a relatively clear sky in Lowee. The firewall made the sunrise a little less scenic, but at least it could be viewed over the horizon outside. Meanwhile, back inside the Basilicom, Thomas just got out of bed and dressed himself. He was putting on his hoodie when he heard a quiet knock on the door. Thomas paused, and went over to the door, holding the knob, "Y-yes? Who is it?"

There was a brief pause, before he heard a muffled voice from outside the door, "It's Blanc. If there is no trouble, may I come in?"

"Lady Blanc?" Thomas blinked, "Sure, just... hold on a moment." He fixed his clothes to make sure he didn't look too disheveled. He then slowly opened the door, looking around to see only Blanc at the entrance. He smiled weakly, letting the door open wide enough to let the goddess in, as he wandered to the bed, "My apologies. I just woke up moments ago, haven't had time to make the bed or clean the room."

"Oh, no worries," Blanc said simply, as she slid just inside the room, holding her hands behind her while casually looking around. She quietly murmured, "Least my timing was good. Would hate to wait out so long."

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, "Pardon?"

"It is nothing," Blanc spoke out, glancing out to one side, before asking, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Thomas nodded slowly as he went to the bed to fix the covers, "It didn't take long for me to fall asleep. Thanks for allowing me to stay here for the night."

"I believe those thanks should be reserved for Financier," Blanc admitted, "But I shall pass the word along to her, if you want."

"It's alright," Thomas finished with the bed, and turned to smile a bit, "I'll make some time to go thank her later. Hopefully I'll be able to before we're sent on our way to the next destination."

"Oh, alright," Blanc said, "I am sure you will have some time. Everyone will need to recharge their batteries and stock up on items."

Thomas winced a little, as he sat down on the freshly-made bed, "Right. I'll have to buy quite a bit of items, so I don't run out of any again." He sighed, recalling his mistake in not bringing enough SP Chargers. If not for some new skill and reinforcements at the end, things would've went sour back at the Expo.

"Hmm?" Blanc looked momentarily puzzled, then said, "Something the matter?"

Thomas frowned, and rubbed the back of his neck, "I... I want to thank you and the others for saving us from that boss battle. It really could've gotten bad at the end, there."

"Oh?" Blanc went into her thoughts, as she slowly inched over, sitting on the other side of the bed, "If anything, Tom, I should be thanking you for what you did during the battle."

"Pardon?" Thomas wasn't sure he heard correctly.

Blanc, clasping her hands quickly together, holding something as she held her hands on her lap, "Ram was going on and on about the battle last night. She was real excited about telling us how powerful her spells were, and how it was thanks to your... new skill?"

"Uh, yeah," Thomas remembered, "Still, it was thanks to her magic that we were able to fight on a little longer. Rom and IF did their best, as well."

"I also heard from IF," Blanc remarked, "That you were very stubborn to start off. You went to the front and took the enemies head on?"

Thomas sweatdropped, "Well..."

"Guzzling Nep Bulls while trying to take the most damage of the group?" Blanc stated.

Thomas didn't want to think about that, and his expression said as much, "Blech."

There was a bit of an awkward pause between the two. Blanc wasn't sure how to proceed, and Thomas was trying to think about all that happened.

Finally, Thomas cleared his throat with a cough, then spoke, "I... I screwed up. I didn't have enough recovery items in my inventory. I gave the remaining few SP items to twins so they could use their magic. They had to use it, to break down some of the robots there. After that, and hearing about the twins being stuck fighting the last few days, I felt the need to push back. I had to put myself in harm's way. It... it made me understand, what it would be like fighting up front, to protect the people you care about."

Before Blanc could say anything, Thomas added, "I was trying to fight like a tank. Kinda like how you would fight."

Blanc paused, raising an eyebrow, "Really now?" She then asked simply, "So, what did you think?"

Thomas shook his head, "It's definitely not something for me. I am grateful for those that do, however. Whether it's IF, or Neptune, or you, Lady Blanc." He then winced, "I don't want to drink another Nep Bull again, though."

Blanc hummed softly, closing her eyes, "There are other recovery items, you know."

Thomas slouched his shoulders in response. Blanc unclasped her hands, revealing something to offer Thomas, "Here."

"Th-this-" Thomas blinked as he saw Blanc offering a tangerine, much like the one he offered her at the Touge Mountains when the party found her. "Wh-"

"This was recently picked from our gardens," Blanc held out the small citrus, "I wanted to offer my thanks, to everyone. But, as you went to sleep early, I didn't have the opportunity to thank you."

"I-is that so?" Thomas felt a bit flustered, "That's very kind of you, Lady Blanc."

"It's nothing," Blanc said as she still waiting for Thomas to accept the offer, "I was concerned that you might struggle a little when I realized you were coming along. Even if you feel a little overwhelmed by what happened, or whatever's to come, just know we are there to support you, just as you have for us."

Thomas nodded, "Th-thank you, Lady Blanc." He then blinked, realizing he didn't take the citrus yet, and finally reached out to grab the tangerine from above. The two glanced away from each other, feeling a tad embarrassed as their hands brushed off each other.

"A-anyway," Blanc spoke after Thomas finally took the fruit, while she stood up from the bed and went to the door, "I'm gonna head over to the kitchen to have breakfast. You're welcome to drop by. It'll be rather quiet for a while. Neptune was busy celebrating all night, so she's likely still asleep for the morning. The others, I can't say for certain." She shrugged, "The invitation still stands."

"Uh, s-sure," Thomas said quietly, "I'll drop by after I finish cleaning up here. And... thanks."

Blanc bowed her head slightly, and made her way out, leaving Thomas a little flushed. Thomas could feel his cheeks being a tad warm, and he pondered to himself. He wasn't sure if he needed that much sweetness in the morning.

Still, as he looked down over to the tangerine given to him, he can't say it was so bad.

* * *

 **ACT II COMPLETE**

 **NEPSTATION!**

* * *

With the Act complete, we turn to our Nepstation, with the two figures at the news desk being Neptune and Blanc.

"It's been a long while!" Neptune exclaimed, "But welcome back to Nepstation! For today's broadcast, your hosts are me, Neptune-"

"And me, Blanc, the CPU of Lowee," Blanc said simply as she tried to put on a nice smile for the camera.

"Congratulations on reading this story this far in!" Neptune beamed, "We've liberated Planeptune and Lowee from the baddies so far. Hopefully we can keep this up and get the good ending!" She whispered the next part, "Spoiler, there's no bad ending. As far as I know, the author won't allow it."

"If this is somehow the chapter you started reading, welcome to the story," Blanc said with a polite wave of her hand, "I do suggest reading from the beginning. Who knows? Perhaps you will find something interesting in your reading."

"Blanny, please!" Neptune laughed, "This is just a silly fanfiction. The author here's not going to drop anything subtle or hidden within the story. That's just crazy talk."

"Hmm, I did say 'perhaps', Neptune," Blanc stated, "If anything, I am sure people will notice a few references here and there."

"Anyway," Neptune decided to get back to the show at hand, "We hope you enjoyed Act II, and are looking forward to our intermission before Act III."

Blanc checked a small piece of paper listing a few things, most likely a script, and said, "Uh, Neptune? I'm just looking at the list of events here. Me, Rom, and Ram have separate events?"

"Yepperoni!" Neptune affirmed, "As you know, all of us will be somehow competing for whoever will be paired with Thomas at the end of the story, and determine the ending."

Blanc paused, then said bluntly, "My sisters are not being hooking up with Tom."

"Hmm? Oh, no no," Neptune said, "I said paired, I didn't really say it was a romantic pairing. I mean, romance may happen with the other characters... in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. But there's nothing like that with your sisters, Blanc. I mean, technically, Histy's listed in there too, and I doubt Tommy's going to hook up with a book fairy. I think?"

"He's not!" The two CPUs blinked as the mic picked up the voice of Histoire calling out from within the studio.

"Uhh, that doesn't mean a pairing isn't possible, and yes, there's a possible Rom or Ram or Histy ending," Neptune tried to explain more, "But again, this depends on how things go from here on! Heck, he might not have a pairing at all! It's still early in the story, though, Blanc."

"I-I see," Blanc cleared her throat, "I hope whatever Neptune said made some bit of sense to our viewers."

"I am the best explainer!" Neptune protested, "Not my fault someone's a little protective of their little sisters, or perhaps is trying to eliminate some competition?"

"I humbly reject such insinuations about the latter," Blanc lifted her head a bit as she tried to act offended, "I merely wanted to know the specifics of this story's gimmick."

"Riiiiiiight," Neptune said wryly, "Whatever you say, Tangerine Queen."

"Let's just get to the news stories part of the broadcast," Blanc said with a glare at Neptune, "We don't want to keep the fans waiting any further."

Neptune smiled goofily, "That's right, Blanny Blanny Bii!" Blanc cringed while Neptune continued, "As our heroes make their way through Gamindustri, other stories have happened! Let's give you just a few of these stories!"

A graphic is displayed for the first news story, showing a close-up stock photo of a race tire, with the title "Racing News." Blanc is the first to start with the news, "The cart racing scene is expected to pick up after Gamindustri resolves its current crisis. Famous adventurer Maryo, to that end, has been scouting out possible locations for future races to add to its Cart Challenge Cup. There are already courses in the four national capitals, as well as one in Virtua Forest for starters. In a recent interview with a gaming magazine, Maryo has stated his intention to add a few more races to add more variety."

"Atari Marsh was one of the rumored locations," Blanc stated as the graphic switched to show a photo of the marshes, "But difficult terrain and an ongoing fight with the monster population have put off such plans. In a recent interview with a gaming magazine, Maryo has expressed his desire to include Sim City as a possible location. Although the city is prone to disasters, Maryo has stated that the city could be good for advanced racers looking for a challenge."

"Seriously, it's quite a dangerous sport," Neptune interjected, "The drivers constantly throw things at each other and try to run them off the track. With such wanton destruction every time the Triple C has a race, it's no surprise that it's garnered a lot of popularity."

"You seem to be quite a fan," Blanc said dully, "Didn't you suggest several odd locations the last time you talked to Maryo?"

"He wanted feedback and I just happened to be around," Neptune said as she glanced up, holding a finger to her left cheek, "I also don't see how any of my suggestions were odd."

"Where do I start?" Blanc pondered, "How about above a race track above an active volcano? Or a spooky haunted house with rickety bridges and bottomless pits? How about we have one in the sky where all the carts are lifted by balloons? Or have a course built on top of an actual rainbow?"

"I'm just an ambitious course designer!" Neptune answered, "We should also have one built in space where everyone has anti-gravity wheels!"

"We haven't even gone into space yet!" Blanc exclaimed.

"I'm just giving the market an incentive to go there," Neptune said happily.

"That's not how that works," Blanc grumbled, before turning back to look at the camera, as Neptune does some Uzume-like daydreaming.

"Other, more sane locations suggested for future courses include Rebeat Resort, Narita Roads, and the Touge Mountains," Blanc finished the story off, "The Triple C is expected to resume once the four CPU nations have been liberated."

The graphic changed into a photo of a baseball, with the caption "Sports", the most generic picture ever for the next story. Neptune beamed as she spoke, "In other news, Planeptune and Lowee local sports have resumed activities, following Lowee's liberation. Sim City University hosted a festival, with many local schools partaking in a small baseball tourney. The Sim City University Llamas also faced off against the Haneda City Flying Whales in an exhibition, ending in a 5-4 victory for the Llamas thanks to a home run in the 9th by center fielder Tomida."

Neptune soon took a more stoic face, though the sudden change in facial expression did little to change her mood, as the graphic changed to a picture of Sim City hall. The caption on the photo read "Politics", which was probably why Neptune tried to be all serious, and failing miserably.

"In other news regarding Sim City," Neptune said in a not-so-serious tone, "Dr. Right has taken the role of interim mayor in the aftermath of the firewall incident, and is proposing a new election in a few months to determine a new mayor. The details of the Sim City government are currently being renegotiated as they attempt to not have the mayor thrown out in less than a week after being sworn in. Dr. Right, in a statement to the press, has said she hopes no further disaster will befall the city. She said this during a freak hailstorm that pounded city hall."

The graphic changed to a picture of the Lowee Grand Expo, with the caption reading "Closed" as it was Blanc's turn to speak.

"In our final story, Lowee officials have closed down the Grand Expo grounds while clean-up is being conducted," Blanc said as she fixed some of the papers on the desk, "Officials are requesting additional help in making sure the Expo as well as the nearby long-abandoned mines will be safe and secure in future visits. The other me, er, that is to say, CPU Blanc of Ultradimension's Lowee, has offered to loan out one of its workers to assist in the clearing of debris."

"Is it who I think it is?" Neptune asked.

After an awkward pause, Blanc nodded slowly with Neptune having a giggle. Blanc muttered the next part of the story, "Former Seven Sages member, Copypaste, is expected to arrive within the next day or so. He will be tasked in destroying and demolishing areas of the mines and the Expo that are in a state of disrepair."

"And to serve the other workers some tea," Neptune joked.

"And to serve the other workers some tea. Yes, Neptune, that's what the story has said," Blanc said with a visible sweatdrop.

Neptune snickered some more, as Blanc sighed, "Despite the fights between himself and the goddesses, Copypaste has become a popular figure in Ultradimension's Lowee due to his over-enthusiasm and friendly demeanor. When not serving tea in the Basilicom, he was often seen aiding demolition and construction efforts through Ultradimension. In fact, I think we've got footage of him in action?" She looked to the side as she gets some signals from an off-stage hand, "We do? Alright? Let's roll that footage for the viewers."

 **BOOP (brief static screen with Neptune eating pudding)**

From the source "Lowee TV (UD)", came TV footage from what looked like a weird kid's show, given the odd camera angles, and the fact that the host is a puppet. The puppet seemed pretty well-dressed at least, with a tuxedo, top hat, and holding a microphone. It seemed overdressed, though, given that the puppet looked to be at a mine.

The puppet spoke in a squeaky voice, no doubt straining the actor's vocal chords, "I'm here in the dark and spooky mines of Lowee. Oh dear! I can't see a thing here! What am I going to do?"

 **"I hear someone can't see around here? Well, hold on, buddy, let me get a light in here!"** A loud, boisterous voice could be heard from off-screen, and a large robot strolled in on its treads, holding a giant light to place behind them. Now in camera shot, the robot greeted the puppet, **"Well! If it isn't Loopy, my dear friend! What are you doing here on this fine day?"**

Loopy returned the greeting, "Why hello there! I am here with my friends today to explore the mines! Friends!" Loopy turned itself to the camera, "I want you to meet my good friend, Copypaste!"

Copypaste, the tank-like robot, looked to the camera, **"Ohhhh! Greeting, friends! I am Copypaste! It is good to meet you! Any friend of Loopy's, well, is a friend of mine!"** He then put his hands on his... chasis? He gives Loopy a glare, **"Now, Loopy. Don't you know it can be rather dangerous going to the mines?"**

Loopy erred, "Well, yes. But I must explore and see what's out there! I want the people out there to know!"

 **"Oh Loopy,"** Copypaste shook his head, **"I admire your courage. Your guts, even! You still have to be careful where you go, though! If something were to happen to you, what would your parents say?"**

"Oh dear!" Loopy exclaimed in its high-pitched squeak, "I didn't think about that!"

 **"That's Loopy for you!"** Copypaste 'sighed', **"Always rushing out without thinking! Don't worry, though! I'll help get you out of here! But first!"** He took out a giant yellow construction helmet, **"Remember, friends! Safety first! Always wear a helmet when you're in a construction zone! Here, Loopy! Wear this!"**

He put the helmet 'over' the puppet, covering it completely. **"That's better! Now, follow me! I'll show you out of here!"**

Copypaste strolled away, as the 'helmet' slowly inched away behind it.

 **BOOP (static screen of Blanc sleeping at a keyboard)**

The footage continued on in the 'graphic' section of the newscast, as both Blanc and Neptune watched in confusion. The footage thankfully left the audio off, but it seemed he led Loopy (w/hard hat) into a tunnel, apparently showing what it could do while talking about it. It dug through a part of the tunnel to show what it could do, as a foam piece of a rock dropped down on the hard hat, 'dropping' Loopy. Copypaste stopped and looked around, wondering where the puppet went, and shrugged as the footage ended.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Both Blanc and Neptune were left a little speechless from what they saw.

It took a while before Neptune was first to speak, "Loopy needed a better helmet."

"That was your take from all that?" Blanc asked.

"Actually, my take is your nation's TV station needed better programming," Neptune said.

"That wasn't even in my dimension!" Blanc complained.

"Potato Blanc, Tomato Blanc," Neptune shrugged, "It's all Lowee to me."

"Stand still for a second," Blanc said through her teeth, getting her hammer ready, "I'll show you a potato."

"And with that cue, time for me to split! See you next time on Nepstation!" Neptune waved and did a quick sprint off-screen.

"Guh~!" Blanc was too slow as she saw Neptune flee, **"Get back here, Neptune!"**

And with that, Blanc chased off after her, ending the episode with the news desk cleared.

* * *

 **Chirper events detected!**

 **Plutia's icon showed up first, saying, "Remember to keep warm in Lowee!"**

 **Next was IF's icon, asking Thomas apparently, "You haven't got a cellphone yet?"**

 **Histoire's icon appeared after, connecting, "Reestablishing communications..."**

 **Blanc's icon popped up after that, stating, "I'm thankful you all came to help us."**

 **Rom's icon was next up, saying with some concern, "I hope our picture books are all okay."**

 **Lastly, Ram's icon appeared, chiding, "What kind of fighting is that? You need my help!"**


	27. Intermission: Plutia's Payback

**("Well, here we go, an intermission event! There'll be more coming out in the next little while before Act III begins. I do not wish to push myself too hard in releasing stuff right away, so my schedule for future chapters will be 'when it's ready'. I hope that you all stick with me, as admittedly Act III will be a challenging arc for me to write out of the ones I've planned so far. I think. In any case, enjoy this chapter, and the other intermission stuff to follow soon!" - Some weirdo.)**

* * *

 **"Remember to keep warm in Lowee!" (Plutia)**

* * *

It was not the same Lowee that she was more familiar with. She didn't really see any nearby pagoda, for one. However, to Plutia, this Lowee had the same feel to visiting the one home to her dimension's Blanc. The weather had more snow, but the same cool air. The game trends were less traditional, but still had that retro feel, as though it couldn't quite let go of its past, even as it moved into a new era. It was everything she experienced when she finally went to Lowee with Neptune way back when. Of course she would enjoy it!

So much so, she had to share! Although her mind was not the swiftest whenever she was in human form, she had a good memory. She remembered that way back earlier, she had Nepgear and Uzume owe her for helping out with a predicament they had. With the rest and relaxation period the party had after the Expo, Plutia decided it was time to cash in that favor. Judging by the happy smile on her face as she walked into the room at the Basilicom the Planeptune CPUs were sleeping in, she had a good time.

In the room, Neptune, still relaxed on the bed, upside-down with her feet up in the air, in her clothes, taking the day off doing very little, looked over at Plutia. Her eyes lit up, seeing someone else in the room, and a friend too, "Hiya Plutie! Enjoying the sights and sounds of this Lowee?"

"Yep! I sure did!" Plutia said, before sighing happily and flopping onto a nearby chair to rest, "Everything is just so fluffy, I almost want to sleep allllllll day."

"Really, Plutie?" Neptune seemed surprised, "You said 'almost' want to sleep all day? I was sorta expecting you to go into hibernation for a good month or two."

"Hehe," Plutia shook her head, giggling, "Noooo, I don't wanna miss out this time!"

The door to their room opened again, with a dazed Nepgear sauntering in and flopping onto the nearest empty bed, looking exhausted, "Kyuuuuuu~"

"Nep Junior?" Neptune blinked, turning around on the bed to look over at her sister, "Did something happen? Did you do too much exercise? Did you pull an all-nighter trying to come up with a new robot? Did you try too hard to help out your dear sister without her knowing?"

"Plu..." Nepgear whispered out loud, as though she were calling out a vivid memory before the final moments of her life. Thankfully for the many Nepgear fans out there, she's fine. She's simply tuckered out from exhaustion.

"Plu?" Neptune pondered on the clue for a second, as though she were playing the part of a hard-boiled detective, and turned her head to the blissful Plutia, "Plutie? What did you do?"

"Aww, I didn't do anything, Neppy," Plutia complained, "Me, Neppy Junior and Uzume were at a Lowee hot spring, having a nice bath."

"Oh, just went to a hot spring?" Neptune seemed a bit more relaxed, "I can see why you looked more relaxed than usual, Plutie."

"Hehe," Plutia smiled a bit, "It was. I thought a nice hot bath would be good to relax after some time in Lowee."

"Buuut really, Nep Junior's alright, is she?" Neptune asked, attempting to be polite.

"She was a little embarrassed at first," Plutia said lightly, "Neppy Junior moved around a lot in the bath. I think she exhausted herself."

"So close..." Nepgear murmured, as she squirmed a little on the bed.

"Ah, there you are, Gearsy! Oh, Nepsy and Plutsy are here too!" Uzume opened the door, walking in to see the state of the three, "Geez, everyone's tuckered out already?"

"Yes, let's go with that," Neptune said, not sure if she wanted to admit she was tired after being a little crazy the other night. Or admit that she was just being lazy today.

"I'm doing fine, Uzume," Plutia said nicely, "I'm usually tired anyway."

"Should've just relaxed... assumed worst..." Nepgear was still a little delirious.

Uzume sighed, "Gearsy's stressed out. I don't know, I thought the bath was quite nice, actually."

"I know, right?" Plutia said as she clapped her hands together, "I really wanted to do something to help a little after... um, you know..."

Neptune blinked, "You know?"

"It's nothing," Plutia said with a glance away. Neptune paused, then looked over at Uzume, wondering if she'll provide some detail.

Uzume winced, "Uh, yeah. Anyway, I had to admit I was a little unsure at first, but man, I forgot how fun those hot springs were!" Uzume laughed a bit sheepishly, "After that trip down the Randome sewer system, a bath helped a lot in getting rid of that leftover smell."

"So that's what it was," Plutia's eyes widened a bit, "I didn't want to say anything at first. It was kinda stinky."

"Sorry about that," Uzume said with some reddened cheeks, "But it was really nice of you to help out there, Plutsy."

Plutia nodded a bit, though Neptune tilted her head at Uzume. Neptune spoke next, "So, Uzume. You, you enjoyed the hot spring?"

"Oh yeah! I feel like it's done great for my body," Uzume said with a tiny flourish of her arms, "I feel rather refreshed. I really should have these nice warm baths more often."

"She was the opposite of Neppy Junior," Plutia said, "I'm actually a little surprised, she didn't seem to mind getting in without much on." She kinda thought Uzume would initially react like Nepgear did. It certainly would've made the trip more amusing for her to see the two girls embarrassed. Instead, it was her and Uzume relaxed as Nepgear was trying to cover herself most of the time there. It was an interesting time for her, though.

"Really?" Neptune blinked, though it made her think of something, "Well, Uzume, if you've ever wanted to have another trip, there's a few other places with some nice baths. I know Leanbox has one you could always visit... er, once we get to that."

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't mind at all," Uzume smiled at this, "I wouldn't mind if we all got together again another time for it. Although..." Her attention turned to Nepgear, "Poor Gearsy got a bit too stressed."

She leaned down, patting the poor girl on her shoulder. Nepgear tensed a little on the touch, "Shu..."

"Say, Gearsy," Uzume tried to comfort her, "What's something that'll help you de-stress? I can help out in whatever way I can, since I got the energy?"

"Mmm?" Nepgear was barely coherent, "Mechanical..."

"Uhh, maybe not that," Uzume laughed a little nervously, "Oh! I know! Wanna go get a little something to eat? I'm sure this place has some fluffy crepes. Oooh, now Uzume's hungry too!" Uzume shook a bit in her spot, rather frustrated that she was now thinking of her stomach.

Nepgear meekly smiled, "Mmm... okay..."

"Hmm? Gearsy agreed! Yay!" Uzume cheered a bit, before leaning to help Nepgear up, "Come on! Maybe once Gearsy feels a little better from the food, we can go get some fancy mecha thingies!"

"That sounds good, Uzume... oof..." Nepgear was still tired, but she liked this idea more and more. Maybe it would help her calm down a bit after that failed bath trip.

"Okay! You know where I'll be if you need me! Take it easy on yourself, Nep Junior. Uzume, take care of the little sister there." Neptune said with a polite wave, confident that she'll be in good hands.

"Will do, Nepsy! See you two later! Bye Plutsy! Wouldn't mind another bath some other time!" Uzume cheerily said, holding up the groggy Nepgear.

"Sure thing!" Plutia said as the two slowly made their way out the door, which slowly closed in on itself, leaving the two Planeptune goddesses alone in the room.

"Hope Nep Junior will relax a little after this," Neptune phewed and looked back up at the ceiling, "We need her to be less stressed for the days ahead."

"Oops," Plutia giggled a bit, "I guess I didn't think that through. I was kinda hoping she'd settle down a bit after a while, but she didn't."

"You were expecting both of them to act like that at first, didn't you?" Neptune asked simply.

"Eheh, guilty as charged," Plutia said, "Though, I didn't mind what happened anyway, all the same."

Neptune hummed softly, as there then a quietness between the two friends. Plutia took a deep breath, as she slowly lifted herself up from her seat, and slowly made her way to the bed Neptune was resting in. Plutia eventually slid down onto the bed, beside her friend, and surprised her with a small hug.

"P-Plutie?" Neptune was a bit surprised by how sneaky the girl was. Or perhaps how quick she was to go from the chair to her side.

"I missed this," Plutia lamented, as she relaxed her grip, though she stayed close, "The times we used to be like this, Neppy. Sleeping at the Basilicom, just hanging out for so long..."

"Yeah, I miss those times too," Neptune smiled a bit, "You know, today we can just relax, so if you like-"

"I really would like that, Neppy," Plutia said, though her tone was wavering, as she turned away.

"Oh?" Neptune noticed the quick change, and leaned her head over to look at Plutia, "Plutie, you know, if something's on your mind, you can always talk to me about it! I mean, we are friends, after all!"

Plutia paused, looking over at her friend, and thought about her next move. Leaning in closer, Neptune blinked as Plutia got really close. However, the tease ended as Plutia lightly bopped Neptune on the head, and turned back, hopping off the bed.

"Nepu?" Neptune winced at the little bop, "What was that all about, Plutie?"

Plutia pouted, as she went over to slouch back in the chair, "That was for leaving me out of all that fun you had."

"Fun?" Neptune was a little confused, as she sat upright on the bed, turning to Plutia, "Ah, I'm not really sure which fun part I left you out of."

"I don't know everything that happened," Plutia said while trying to look cross at her friend, "But from what I've heard and seen so far, it seemed you had a big adventure?"

Neptune was still confused, and Plutia sighed, "The one with Uzume? That one?"

Neptune's eyes widened, as she leaned back, putting a hand on her forehead, "Ohhhhhh, that one."

Plutia nodded, "Uh huh! Apparently there's other dimensions now and Uzume was revived or something. I didn't understand everything, but it sounded like something you would do." She grumbled, "You didn't try asking for my help? At any point?" Her face saddened a bit, "You know if you had any trouble like that, I would gladly run over to help you, Neppy."

Neptune grimaced, and put her hand down on her lap, "I know you would, Plutie. Really, the thought did occur to me at various points throughout what happened. A lot **did** happen, though. I was trapped in another dimension, again, and there were points where our entire dimension was changed, and I couldn't do anything. Not to mention there was a time where I was captured and-"

"Those sound all like excuses," Plutia said with another grumble.

Neptune glanced down, saddened, "I'm sorry, Plutie. There was a lot on our plate, and the fate of Gamindustri hung in the balance. We really could've used your help during all that."

Plutia sighed, "Neppy..."

"I know you would've jumped at the chance," Neptune continued, "Really, I'm sorry, Plutie. I regret not having you around during that time."

"It's not just that," Plutia said, "I just... when you came to my dimension, you did so much for us. For me. For the CPUs there. For everyone there. I was really happy. And when things got bad there, you wanted to help, no matter what. So, when things spilled over into your dimension, I wanted to help too!" Neptune slowly nodded, as Plutia spoke some more, "I'm real happy for the times we spent together, and helping each other out. Hearing you had another adventure, I got a little angry..."

"I guess you're a bit jealous, huh?" Neptune said, trying to stay on the light side of things, even with Plutia looking a bit irritated.

"Uh huh," Plutia grumbled, "I was a little mad at you, Neppy. Especially once I learned more from Uzume and Tommy. Uzume's real adorable, and Tommy... I don't know about him just yet."

"Uhhh, Plutie, what do you mean by that?" Neptune tilted her head at her.

"Hmm? Oh!" Plutia's mood lightened a little, at least, "I know you're really good at making friends, Neppy. It's not fair that you kept them all to yourself!"

"I wasn't really keeping either of them," Neptune muttered, "You are welcome to being friends with them, if you want."

"Really? Okay then!" Plutia cheered up a bit, "Me and Uzume had a good time at the bath, so that leaves Tommy. Hmm, what to do..."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling a little better," Neptune said, "The mood swings notwithstanding."

"Oh, I'm still a little mad at you," Plutia corrected Neptune, putting her hands together, "If I wasn't dropping in at such timing, would you have invited me over to help with this firewall?"

Neptune sweatdropped, "Uhh, I'm really sorry, Plutie. Really, I am. If I knew you wanted in on any big throwdowns in this dimension so badly, I'd have called. Honest."

Plutia sighed, "Well, what's done is done." She stood up from her seat, and made her way to the door, "I'm gonna go out for a walk today."

"Oh, now I know Plutie's not happy," Neptune winced, "She doesn't wanna rest?"

"Don't worry Neppy," Plutia smiled, "We'll have plenty of time later to relive old times! Just don't expect me to stay behind." Neptune smiled a bit, but it was more of a nervous one. Plutia certainly was planning to have Neppy be 'reacquainted' with her. Later, of course. And probably in times that won't be covered by an event.

"T-T-Y-L!" Plutia said, invoking an acronym to end her conversation. She said a lot, anyway, and wanted to save a little time speaking, as she was heading out, leaving Neptune to ponder on her fate.

* * *

Lowee's downtown market was busy teeming with life, as the citizenry went back to its relatively normal state of affairs. The cool air did not deter the people from selling their goods outdoors, and there were plenty happy to be out and about. There was still a high from the earlier festivities, so all that added to an already busy market.

Plutia yawned as she traveled at her normal, slow pace, walking all the way from the Basilicom to check out the goings on. While she slowly moved down the street, Plutia took this time to get her thoughts in order. Much as she hated to deal with it, she had a lot swimming in her mind.

What was going to be a little surprise visit to Neptune turned into a long stay here in Hyperdimension. While she wasn't affected much by the firewall dropping when it started, things haven't been so easy since. She got rather lost, and found herself stuck in a cave for the longest time, fighting all those monsters for what seemed like forever.

While she certainly didn't mind taking out her frustrations on those monsters, Plutia was starting to worry. She could only enjoy inflicting, even enduring, pain for so long before it was no longer any fun.

Plutia frowned a little as she recalled some more. Over the years, there were times that 'Sadie' as Neptune calls her CPU self would cause some problems. She certainly wasn't going to get rid of this, as it was a part of her true self. At the same time, though, she didn't feel too great about the times she's scared away her friends. It had always been a bit of a balancing act, but lately, it's been something on her mind even more of late.

When she was stuck in that cave, slowly being worn down by the monster waves, she was starting to wish for help. She wanted it all to stop, for the sake of her sanity, and to give her time to rest. She was rather hesitant when Uzume and Tommy came in to save her, but hearing Thomas recognize her and wishing to help, put her at ease, even though at first glance he was not capable of fighting the monsters on his own. Thankfully, Uzume was also another CPU, so Plutia was grateful for that.

Despite feeling rather irritated that Neppy didn't introduce them to her, she was quickly liking the two new people as they traveled together, saving the others on the way. She was already enamored with Orange Heart's personality, and that bath scene certainly gave her a surprise. Uzume, though sometimes shy, seemed to have no problem with showing off or breaking out at times. Plutia was happy to, eventually, befriend her, and will cherish her as much as all her other friends.

Thomas, that one was a little tricky for her to figure out. The fact that Thomas trusted her even as she was 'Sadie' at the first meeting was something that stuck in her mind. Someone who was also acquainted with Neppy, Tommy relied on her as much as the other people he was more familiar with. She heard about this resonance he had with the other CPUs, and even she could tell that his proximity boosted her a little bit.

She was certainly happy Thomas was around, having helped her out of Otori Cave and giving her some much needed rest. In Haneda City, she thought about how she would have some of her usual fun with him. However, upon a close look, she could tell something was off with him, or broken, at least. This was enough for even her sadistic self to not really have any fun.

Yet, she can't stop thinking about him, especially of late. Though he seemed reluctant to take credit, Ram certainly spoke highly of his contribution. She could tell. The fire, however small it was in Tommy, was starting to grow. It was starting to make her rethink...

Thankfully, to spare Plutia from having a headache thinking some more, she spotted a figure at a market stand, apparently purchasing a few items. Plutia recognized the man as Tommy, and snapped out of her thoughts to slowly head in that direction. As she did, she could see Thomas approached by a few citizens, who began talking to him. She couldn't make out what was being said, though Thomas seemed a bit nervous talking.

As Plutia got closer, she could hear the others. "You don't have to be shy, you know?" One of the gentlemen said, "We know you were the one guy who was in the CPUs' party."

Before Thomas could say much else, the gentlemen laughed, "Relax, man. We actually came to say thanks for helping out." Thomas blinked in confusion at the group, who offered him a few battle items to put in his inventory, "We thought you could bring these with you during your party's travel. Please, it's the least we can offer."

"Uh, well, uh, thanks for the offer, I will certainly bring them over to the goddesses," Thomas wasn't going to say no to free items, "Though, I can only say I am a simple servant. I didn't do anything fancy."

The gentlemen shook his head, putting his hands up to gesture, "Dude, you're keeping up with the goddesses. Many adventurers would kill for a chance to even be in the same party as someone like Blanc, let alone all the goddesses. It must be an incredible honor!"

Thomas flustered a bit, "When you put it like that, it certainly is quite an honor."

"Ram was speaking highly of you," the gentlemen continued, "Well, the support part. Apparently she said you weren't really good at fighting. At all."

Thomas sweatdropped, "I figured she would be brutally honest."

"Still, supporting the goddesses, that's kind of what we all do, right?" The gentlemen asked, "So, please, keep doing whatever you're doing. Know that we support you just as we support them!"

Thomas blinked, still surprised by this, "O-okay. Th-thank you all for your support. I am glad to see your faith being so strong."

"So," The gentlemen's tone changed a little, as Plutia just stood behind the group to listen more, "What's your story?"

"My... story?" Thomas looked puzzled. He has yet to recognize Plutia in the group.

"Come on, one OC among the goddesses," the gentlemen ignored the fourth wall for this, "You must be pining for one of them, right? Or more?"

"Are you serious?" Thomas said dully. He didn't seem to be in the mood to answer that.

Before the two could engage further, the group slowly dispersed, realizing who was with them. The gentlemen paused his train of thought, noticing Plutia, "Oh! H-hello, m'lady Iris Heart! I was just h-heading out! B-best of luck to all of you!"

As quickly as they met Thomas, they left, leaving him with a rather amused Plutia. "Hey Tommy!" Plutia beamed, "How are things going so far?"

"Uhhh, good, good," Thomas answered, "I mean, I got some new items for free. Free stuff is good." He then noticed the goofy smile Plutia had, and asked, "How long were you here for?"

"Long enough," Plutia said simply, before she laughed, "You get nervous around people?"

"Only when I'm put on the spot like that," Thomas sighed, "It's not the first time I've been asked a question like that. I can't imagine it being the last, either."

Plutia nodded, "Guess it can't be helped!"

Thomas paused a moment, before asking, "You're not gonna ask me about it?"

"Why would I?" Plutia blinked.

"You're not curious at all?" Thomas arched an eyebrow at Plutia.

"I don't wanna ruin the surprise!" Plutia said jokingly.

"Funny," Thomas said dryly, before shaking his head, "I don't have an answer, anyway."

"That was my guess," Plutia grinned.

"Don't think it would be a good thing if I were involved with a goddess like that," Thomas murmured.

Plutia hummed softly, "Oh?"

Thomas' eyes widened, and he cleared his throat, "Th-that was nothing. P-pay no heed. A-anyway, I didn't ask you how things are going with you, Plutia. How's Lowee treating you?"

Plutia decided to let it be for now, answering the question, "It's been great so far. I was just walking around to think. What are you doing right now?"

"Getting more supplies," Thomas said as he fixed his scarf. He was still wearing the winter gear he bought from a while back. He continued, "I don't want to make the same mistake twice, so I spent a lot on SP Chargers."

"At least you learned something from the mistake," Plutia said, before recalling something, "You learned a new skill, I hear?"

"Uh, yeah," Thomas answered, "I meditate and give out SP to those who need it, I guess? Also boosted a bit of their magic."

"That'll come in handy," Plutia said, then held a finger to her chin, "I'll definitely need it since I use a bit of magic too."

"Ah, of course," Thomas nodded, "You do have quite a few techniques. Even that weird plushie attack you have uses SP, correct?"

"You remembered?" Plutia smiled happily at this.

"You did try to show off what you could do when you first joined the party," Thomas noted, "Also, kind of hard not to notice an attack involving falling plushies."

"Oh! I did do that, didn't I?" Plutia almost forgot about that.

Thomas nodded once more, and shivered a little as he once again fiddled with his scarf.

"Tommy?" Plutia noticed this, and asked, "Is the weather really bothering you?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Thomas fidgeted, "I've lived in more warm conditions for much of my life. My body and the cold don't go well together."

Plutia hummed a bit, looking over Thomas briefly, and saying, "Maybe you need something a bit warmer?"

"Uh, maybe I do," Thomas pondered this, as even Plutia joined in.

Plutia soon had something come to mind, and clapped her hands together, "I can help!"

Thomas raised both his eyebrows in surprise, "R-really?"

"Uh huh!" Plutia beamed, "Not only am I good at making plushies, I am also a tailor! I can make you a nice winter coat!"

"Is that so?" Thomas blinked, "Is it really necessary, though? I mean, it could take a while."

"Oh, I'm good at it!" Plutia insisted, "I'm reallllly good with needles, ehehehe, and I really want to help you out here! I can't have your fire burn out so early!"

Thomas grimaced, "I'm not really certain I know what you exactly mean, but if you really wanted to help, I guess I can't say no."

"Great!" Plutia exclaimed, "First, I'm gonna have to take your measurements. We should probably go somewhere less crowded, though."

Thomas erred, "So long as it's just measurements..."

* * *

The measurement didn't take too long, although Plutia took a bit of liberty with tightening her measuring tape around Thomas. She did stop as soon as Thomas stared at her. She had a feeling he knew she was messing around at that point. She enjoyed the little tease, all the same. Plutia now had the measurements she needed, although... she didn't really plan to be serious with this. For her, this was something to do during her time here.

A long time later, most likely at the end of the party's rest and relaxation, Plutia invited Thomas to try out the coat she finished making. Thomas was surprised by how fast she was at making this coat.

Once Thomas met with Plutia in his guest room at the Basilicom, however, he was not too thrilled with the outcome.

"Uh, isn't this a bit too big?" Thomas complained, as Plutia decided to go all out with the coat. Instead of a simple overcoat that would probably make things a tad warmer, Plutia decided that she needed as much fabric as possible to make the poofiest winter coat ever. The coat, in addition, was very long, enough to cover the man's legs down to his feet. Plutia made extra sure that it would be bigger than his traditional hoodie, and big enough to envelop his entire body. In addition to the fabric, she added as much stuffing to it as possible to make it extra warm.

Somehow, she managed to stuff Thomas into the coat. The result? A man trapped in a poofy cocoon. The sight was enough to greatly amuse Plutia, who responded nicely to the question, "I made it as comfy as possible, so of course it would be big! Sooooo, what do you think? Pretty warm, right?"

Thomas was not too enthused, "It is warm, I will admit. I don't think I can practically wear this in Lowee, though."

Plutia teased, poking the guy in the poofy coat, "Tommy's a giant ball of fluff! Roly-poly Tommy! Roly! Poly!" She hummed a few bars as she kept going on, "Roly! Poly!"

The poking was enough to tip over the ball of fluff, who was unable to really move his arms over to remove the coat. Now on his side, Thomas complained, "I'm glad you're amused by this, Plutia. But let me out now. Please? I can't get out."

Plutia awwed, as she leaned over on the poofy Thomas, "You don't like it? I spent sooo much time on it! I just wanted to help protect you from the elements!"

"This is a little **over** -protective," Thomas grumbled.

"But I wanna protect you!" Plutia pouted, still teasing the toppled man, before leaning against the coat, and yawning a bit, "Whether it is monsters, robots, or the cold, I'll be here. Lemme, aaah, lemme keep you safe..."

"Uh, Plutia?" Thomas wriggled some more in his cocoon. Plutia pushed the roly-poly Tommy a bit more, before sitting down comfortably, and slowly drifting into a slumber.

"Ehehe..." Plutia murmured, "Just leave it to me..." For Plutia, this was not quite the outright nice thing she wanted to do for Tommy. In the end, though, she enjoyed having to do something. Maybe now, Thomas will be less likely to complain about the weather, lest he wanted Plutia to bring out the coat once more.

Plutia went into a nice sleep, leaning on the warm and irritated Thomas for support. She would let him out, eventually, after a little nap. She would enjoy this moment for a time, even if Thomas certainly had a different opinion. Or is that 'especially since Thomas had a different opinion'?

"Plutia? Plutia! Of all the times to go to sleep..." Thomas grumbled, still trying to get out of his predicament. The only positive he could think of was that he had some time to rest for a while.

Plus, the Lowee weather wasn't bothering him as much anymore.


	28. Intermission: Crepes And Cellphones

During the time Plutia was out in the downtown market meeting with Thomas, on the other side were a pair of CPUs trying to have some nice food. I would say a pair of CPUs, but really, one seemed to be enjoying it more. Uzume had brought Nepgear out to a little crepe shop, and ordered two big ones for each to enjoy. Uzume was thrilled to indulge in her sweet tooth, though she wished to savor each little bite. Each bit was as good as the last, with the taste of fruits and ice cream along with the sweet crepe.

Nepgear, on the other hand, was feeling rather tired, so she was barely able to even touch her food. She was happy to see Uzume enjoying her food, at the very least, but she was having a hard time even staying up, let alone eat her crepe. It didn't help that Uzume just **had** to buy the largest ones she could find.

Uzume took some time off of eating the large crepe to nibble on one of the chocolate pocky that came with the meal. She looked over at Nepgear, and paused with the little piece in her mouth, as though it were a toothpick. She hummed, and slid the piece to one side of her mouth, murmuring to Nepgear, "Are you alright? Haven't touched your crepe yet."

Nepgear sighed, "Too tired... sorry..."

Uzume grinned as the idea formed in her mind, "I can think of a simple solution." She bit off on her pocky, finishing it off before taking a spoon and digging into Nepgear's crepe. Nepgear's eyes widened, as Uzume soon teased taking the spoon over to herself to eat. Uzume stopped and got a look at the pouting face of Nepgear's. Uzume was almost ready to melt, and she flustered, "I-I was just kidding! Let me help you out! Here!"

Nepgear tilted her head, as though she was waiting for something. Uzume blinked, "Um, Gearsy?" Nepgear's face flushed, as she seemed to be waiting for something before being fed. Uzume took a moment, before she realized, "Oh! Right! Aaaah?"

This was all Nepgear needed, "Aaah," as she went in to take a bite of the crepe, slowly chewing as she was enjoying the moment. Uzume glanced away, "That... felt a little odd. A-anyway, did that help, Gearsy?"

Nepgear nodded her head in appreciation, not wanting to speak with her mouth still full. Nepgear eventually finished, and smiled a bit to her friend, "Thanks, Uzume." She phewed softly, feeling a bit better after the little bite.

Uzume held the spoon out for Nepgear, "No problem, Gearsy. Glad to help out."

Nepgear paused, before pleading a bit with Uzume, "One more? Please?"

Uzume frowned, but looking at the pleading Nepgear, she wavered, "O-oh alright. Just one more, though. I swear, Gearsy..." She murmured under her breath before taking the spoon back to getting another bite for Nepgear, "Ready? Now, aaaaah..."

Nepgear was more enthusiastic, "Aaah!" as she bit down on the spoonful, holding the spoon in her mouth as Uzume let go, letting Nepgear take it from there. Nepgear's mood lightened considerably, savoring the bite for quite a while before digging into the crepe some more on her own.

Uzume smirked a bit, "That was a quick turnaround. You just wanted me to feed you first, didn't you?"

Nepgear finished a bite, giggling afterwards, "Eheh."

Uzume rolled her eyes, though there was no particular malice in her expression, "Th-that was a little embarrassing, but I am glad you're looking a little better now."

Nepgear smiled meekly, "Mmhmm, and the crepe's really good too."

"I know, right?" Uzume excitedly responded, surprising Nepgear, "It's the ice cream, isn't it? Or maybe it's the berries they put in there. I know Lowee has some pretty good harvests around this time, but between this and last night's feast, my taste buds have been sent to heaven! Don't you agree, Gearsy?"

Nepgear fidgeted a little, "I-It sure is whatever you said, Uzume!" She said as Uzume was briefly taken to a little daydream, before the girl came back to reality.

"Ahem, I enjoyed the food a lot so far, is what I meant to say," Uzume corrected herself.

Nepgear giggled a bit, "I'm glad that you seem to be enjoying yourself."

"Hell yeah I've been enjoying myself!" Uzume exclaimed, as she went back to the few remnants of her crepe to eat, scarfing it down. "Yesh!" She said between bites, before gulping down so she could continue talking, "Traveling with all of you has been really fun. I can see why Nepsy enjoys adventuring so much with her friends!"

Nepgear's smile faded a little, "Ah, yeah." She took another bite of her crepe, as Uzume realized Nepgear's enthusiasm dwindling slightly.

Uzume finished her crepe so she can focus her attention at Nepgear, "Gearsy? Something's on your mind, isn't it?"

The CPU candidate took a little bite of her food, finishing before answering the question, "Yeah, there is. I'm that easy to read, huh?"

"In this case you are," Uzume said as she leaned a little forward to listen in, "Care to talk about it?"

"It's nothing much to talk about," Nepgear admitted, "I just... I worry about the others that we haven't rescued yet. Vert. Noire. Uni..."

Uzume sighed a bit, before she stood up, and clasped her hands on Nepgear's shoulders, "Gearsy, I promise you. We'll save the others just as we have with Lowee's CPUs."

"Y-yes. Th-thank you, again, Uzume," Nepgear yammered, "I guess I'm still a little wary."

"Don't be," Uzume stated, "Besides, I owe you and the others for the help back in Zero and Heart dimension. It's the least I can do." She patted Nepgear's shoulders a few times before sitting back down, "We've done well so far, right?"

Nepgear smiled a bit, "Right, we have. Although, Uzume, that whole owing talk makes me think you're taking Thomas' shitck."

"I am?" Uzume blinked, realizing she did sound a bit like Thomas a moment there with the whole 'owing the CPUs' thing, "I think I've been around him too long, then. Save me, Nepgear."

"Goodness! That's not very nice!" The two continued to joke as they resumed their chit-chat, with Nepgear enjoying the rest of her crepe.

* * *

 **"You haven't got a cellphone yet?" (IF)**

* * *

A few hours later, a yawning IF walked through the Lowee market, checking out the traffic. She had a simple breakfast early in the morning, but afterwards she was treated to Compa's massage, even as IF was a bit reluctant to be a guinea pig. It wasn't a bad massage, not at all. However, by the end of it, IF felt some fatigue. Compa did warn about the possibility, at the least, and IF wasn't caught off-guard by this. Thankfully, this was a time of R&R, so IF could take it easy for a time.

IF saw an empty bench nearby, and sat down, leaning back to relax. Given her fatigue, she was struggling to stay awake. She did another yawn, before taking her cellphone and checking her messages. She was happy to see a few names pop up on some of the new messages she received. Since returning from the Expo and freeing Lowee from much of the firewall, she's gotten some messages from a few of her Guild contacts that were missing.

Shifting in her seat to better look at her phone, she began to respond to a couple of texts. Many of the messages were simply telling her how they were since the firewall dropped, and she was relieved to read of how they managed to remain safe. There were a few other messages, however, that she pondered over.

Word had spread about what happened at the Expo, notably how she and another person helped out Rom and Ram. This wasn't new to IF, or really to anyone. The CPUs sometimes relied on their human companions and party members in previous adventures, whether they were from the Guild, some other organization, or on their own.

What was new was the reaction to this particular news item. Word spread to some of the people more familiar with Planeptune, and the messages expressed some surprise. IF smirked, and responded to the text, typing, "Yes. It was." She knew she would get a response after that, but for now, this would be her answer.

The surprised messages were fair, though, at least for IF they were. After all, it wasn't until just recently that Thomas would add his name to the list of humans who fought alongside the goddesses. The same Thomas who was just some paper-pusher in Planeptune. But, upon hearing that he was involved in the battle earlier, many of his former colleagues, some of who were Guild members, had to be certain it was the same guy.

IF turned off her cellphone, and put it away, before looking back to the traffic. She turned her head to one side, and jumped in her seat on the long bench. The jump scare was brought to her by a resting Thomas, who seemed to have taken a seat nearby, closing his eyes and wincing at some soreness along his back.

IF shook her head, murmuring incredulously, "Are you some kind of demon?" Just as she said that, Thomas blinked, "Hmm?" He turned his head over, seeing IF there, and made a small wave of his hand, "Hey IF."

"Uh, hey," IF said simply before asking immediately, "How long have you been there?"

Thomas shrugged, and went back to lean on his seat, "Just a minute ago, I think? You were busy on the phone, so I didn't want to bother you."

"Okay," IF said as she fixed her coat a bit, "Came to say hello, or-?"

"Hmm?" Thomas thought a moment, "Actually, I just came out of a store earlier. Took a couple of measurements for some clothing, but, ah," He winced a bit, "Someone was a bit tight with their measuring tape. After that, I saw a bench. You were sitting on one side, so I took the other." He laughed nervously, "Didn't mean to have you jump, there."

"I was merely surprised," IF retorted, without any hesitation, "In any case, I might as well ask how you are faring. Did you get any rest?"

"Uh, yeah, going to sleep early helped a bit," Thomas answered, before he asked, "Did you stay up long during last night's festivities?"

"Nah," IF said, folding her arms upon her lap, "I wanted to rest early too after that fight. I did stay for some of the food, though. You missed out on some good takoyaki."

"They had some t-" Thomas sputtered for a second before muttering, "I regret going to sleep early."

IF laughed a bit, "Don't be like that. You needed the rest. Besides, there's still some time in Lowee. There's plenty of good chefs still here in Lowee."

"Bah," Thomas mildly grumbled, "Let me be jealous..."

IF smirked, as Thomas crossed his arms, partly acting but still disappointed that he missed out. After that moment of joking, there was a bit of an awkward pause between the two.

"Uh, a-anyway," Thomas uncrossed his arms, and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing down, "I really wanted to find you so I can offer my thanks for-"

"Eheh, that isn't really necessary," IF interjected, "But, you're welcome."

"Uh, right," Thomas nodded slowly, "I guess I can't help it with the thanks."

"You helped out too, you know. I thought so," IF noted as she gestured in the Basilicom's direction, "Rom and Ram thought so, as well, hence why Ram went into chatting about it."

Thomas slouched a little bit, as IF sighed, "Come on, learn to take a little credit. Since then, I've been getting messages from my contacts asking if it really was you helping out there."

"O-oh?" Thomas blinked, "That was what you were responding to, earlier?"

IF took her phone out, briefly waving it at Thomas, "The wonder of instant communication! News traveled quickly back to Planeptune, and some of your old work colleagues found out."

"They certainly couldn't contact me, or they know of how you team up with Neptune a lot, so I guess you were the one they wanted to verify with," Thomas said.

"I'm sure you would've told them, had you-"

"Had a phone," Thomas sighed, "Yes yes, I know, IF. I know."

IF put her phone away, and laid her hands on her hips, glaring a bit at Thomas, "Oh, do you now? Maybe we should get on that. Are you doing anything at the moment?"

"Well, uh, no," Thomas blinked, "But what do you mean by-"

"Since you have the time," IF hopped off the bench, and spun to face Thomas, "Let's go get that cellphone for you."

Thomas slowly stood up, "Well, since you offered, that doesn't sound so bad."

"You're still paying," IF stated quickly.

Thomas laughed a little, "Darn. There was that small hope in the back of my mind. That's okay. I should have enough credits to handle all this."

"There is a shop nearby where we can look around," IF gestured behind her, pointing out a small building in the market, "Hopefully, you can find something to your liking."

"It shouldn't be that difficult, but alright," Thomas said, before he bit his tongue. That sounded like he set up a flag for things to come.

"If that's no problem, than come on, follow me," IF said with a wave of her hand, turning to walk that way, but waiting for Thomas to catch up. Thomas, having stayed in his seat for quite some time, realized this and scrambled up to his feet. However, as he jogged a bit to catch up to IF, he stumbled, as his sore back acted up. He tried to stop his momentum, his foot trying to stomp down, but he still fell a bit forward.

IF's eyes widened, and she hopped back to grab a hold of Thomas' shoulders before he fell further, managing to keep him from tumbling to the ground. "Woah there," IF's quickness was enough to come to the rescue, "You okay there?"

Thomas, feeling embarrassed, glanced away as he got back on his feet with IF's help, "Y-y-yeah, I'm alright now..."

"There's no need to rush," IF muttered while slowly letting go of Thomas, "Although I guess it's a bit my fault as well. It looks like you're still a little sore."

Thomas' face flushed a tinge, "I'm gonna need a lot more rest before we head out." He sighed, "And you were a little sore too, right? Yet you managed to help..."

IF patted Thomas on the back, "So I did. Hey, I'm just looking out for a friend... er, and because I am your boss, after all! Can't have my subordinate down face-first in the ground!"

"Are we still doing that?" Thomas cringed as IF was now the one teasing, "We don't have to pretend anymore."

"Pretend?" IF said with a tilt of her head, feigning surprise.

Thomas narrowed his eyes, with IF stifling a laugh. "You really do need to relax," IF said as she took one of Thomas' hands, holding them in her own, "Just hang on for now, so you wouldn't stumble."

"Uh, right," Thomas blinked, but found himself led on by IF, who dragged him behind as they headed to the store. Thomas wasn't sure at this point if this had suddenly become a date. IF, meanwhile, was surprised that despite Thomas' physical weakness, his hands were quite strong, able to hold on.

* * *

After some time had passed, IF and Thomas finally exited the store, and IF stretched her arms, "Ah, it feels good to be back outside again. Wouldn't you agree, Thomas?"

In contrast with IF, Thomas looked rather drained mentally, as he murmured quietly under his breath. IF sweatdropped at her colleague looking out of it, "I guess you weren't as prepared as I thought you would be."

"I just went in to buy a cellphone," Thomas muttered in a zombie-like trance.

"You did, didn't you?" IF asked.

Thomas snapped out of it, but only to answer in a surprise to IF, "Buying the hardware was the easy part, but the salesperson went off into buying plans and, ugh," He shook his head, holding his forehead with one hand, "I wasn't sure if I was asking for a loan, or buying a mortgage."

"Heh," IF smirked a bit, "The paper-pusher was not too thrilled with cellphone plans?"

"I don't know if this will surprise you," Thomas said dully, "But I don't find paper-pushing that enjoyable."

IF was a bit surprised, more on hearing Thomas say this given what his old job, "And you did it because?"

"To help in the Basilicom, and to keep Neptune away from the boring work," Thomas answered without missing a beat.

IF raised her eyebrows, "Oh? That was a rather blunt answer."

Thomas paused, then flustered, "Uh, anyway! The point is, that was rather tiring." He sighed, then pulled out the new cellphone he bought, "It is done, though. New phone acquired."

The cellphone Thomas bought was of similar shape to some of IF's. The phone itself was white, but the casing itself was of an azure color. Thomas started up the phone, and began to swipe along the screen to check on things.

IF grimaced, and rushed over to assist, "Slow down a little. After all, this is your first... phone?"

Thomas glanced up, pausing as IF was surprised, seeing him handle the tech without it going crazy. IF froze up, blinking multiple times, "H-how?"

"How what now?" Thomas asked, confused, turning off the phone briefly.

"That!" IF pointed, "It didn't blow up! Or anything like what happened before when you touched **my** phone!" She seemed a little more exasperated by that, that her phone would require some effort to fix after Thomas messed with it on accident last time.

"I did some research?" Thomas said, unsure, before shaking his head, "Uh, what I mean is, I just had to read up on it and see how it was done. That and watch both you and Nepgear whenever you used your phones. I mean, I don't know everything about this tech," He held up the cellphone, "But I learned."

He turned on the phone once more, though he paused as he looked over the screen, "Well, learned a little. Um... I guess that's the e-mail system. Er..."

IF slouched her shoulders, "Okay, that makes more sense. You only know a few of the basics."

"Eheh," Thomas laughed meekly, "I might've been a little busy with some other things at the time."

"Okay, let me see this," IF said as she peeked over at the cellphone screen, "Just ask me anything if you're stuck."

"Alright, well, unless I stumble upon a crash or something, I don't see any problems I need fixing. At least, not right now," Thomas admitted, "I can trial and error this. Really!"

IF hummed a bit, before Thomas sighed, "Sorry. About both this and for messing up your phone earlier. I know you're still hung up on that but-"

IF patted Thomas' shoulder once more, before pulling out her own phone, "It's alright. Besides, given how things have happened where the party had been separated on multiple occasions, a way of communicating back to us would've been needed."

"That's true," Thomas admitted, "This whole time in Lowee, we had to split into groups a few times, not even counting the time at the Expo."

"Exactly," IF nodded, before using her phone, "Let's get started with that. You can find the contacts feature, right?"

"I see it, yes," Thomas said as he tapped on it.

"Add this number," IF said simply, showing Thomas her phone showing the phone number of hers.

"O-Okay," Thomas responded as he looked around on the screen, confused. IF waited a beat, before she pointed over at Thomas' screen, "You can add a contact by going through there." Thomas complied and went over IF's simple instruction, eventually getting through to adding the contact, complete with him slowly typing with one finger.

IF laughed a little at the typing, and Thomas grumbled, "Is there an 'Iffy Teaches Typing' program on cellphones?"

"Sorry," IF chuckled, "You'll have to do a bit of practice."

Thomas sighed, "Oh well." He finished making the contact list for "Iffy" and saved it.

IF pondered a moment, "I noticed something. How come you don't call me Iffy normally, anyway?"

"Nicknames are not something I use that often," Thomas answered, "Plus, I didn't come up with the nickname. I figured it would be rude of me to use. Why? You want me to call you Iffy?"

"N-n-not really!" IF stammered a bit, before going back to her phone, "Anyway, now that you have my number, try calling."

"Aye-aye," Thomas said as he checked before he tapped the phone to call the number.

A moment later, IF's phone vibrated, and she answered, "Hello!"

"Hey IF, I got a new phone! How's it going?" Thomas joked into the phone.

IF immediately hung up, quickly glaring at him before checking the log, "Haaaa. Well, now I have the number so I can now add it to my contacts. At the very least, Thomas, if anything comes up, just give a call."

Thomas closed the contacts list, still looking across the screen, "Very well, IF. Thank you, again, for the assistance."

IF backed up a bit, "No problem! Anyway, I should probably get going and check out some things on my own. I'll talk to you later."

"O-okay!" Thomas blinked, "I'll see you later, IF."

The two separated, and started to head in different directions. Thomas was headed to the Basilicom, while IF continued down the market.

Thomas stopped a moment to look over the screen again. He was going to research on this quickly, now that he had some new tech to deal with.

IF, meanwhile, continued down the market, smiling a bit to herself for the help she offered. In addition, she thought it amusing that she was the first to give Thomas her cellphone number. Not Nepgear, Blanc, Uzume, Nep, or any of the others. She then cleared her throat as she thought about why that would even be in her mind. She then felt a tinge of blush on her cheek.

"Stop it with that moe crap, IF," IF chided herself. Her mind thought back to the entire scene and it playing out a bit like a small date. Adding to that what the two went through so far to get here, including a part where they worked together, and IF crossed her arms and growled.

"Damnit..."

* * *

 **"Reestablishing communications..." (Histoire)**

* * *

Back at Planeptune, things have been relatively normal. With the Guild and many adventurers, including those from the other dimensions, pitching in, the region has been rather calm. With Lowee now liberated, there were already an influx of people wishing to send assistance there. Overlooking some of these ventures was none other than Histoire, Planeptune's Oracle, and the one also tasked with overseeing the CPUs' adventure from home. This, all in addition to making sure things run smoothly, and researching into the firewall, and it was quite a lot for an Oracle to handle.

In the Basilicom, Histoire was currently busy making sure communications between the two free nations were back up. She had contacted Financier earlier in the day to check a few things, as well as fill her in on some things Financier might not be familiar with. Financier wasn't an Oracle, and with Blanc and the twins likely leaving Lowee soon with the others, she needed to be ready to oversee the nation in the CPUs' absence. Thankfully, it seemed Financier had some backup plans in mind. Histoire was relieved to hear that, as it meant one less thing for her to worry about, hopefully.

Histoire flew back to another desk, sorting out a few more files that just came in near the end of the day. These documents were more to deal with the ongoing affairs of the Planeptune nation. Most of the time, she would **try** to delegate this to Neptune, but usually ended up giving these over to Nepgear or to other Basilicom staff. For today, she would quickly look through them to see if there was anything of note. After all, she wanted to check on anything that could help her figure out about this firewall, beyond what she knew.

Histoire eventually sighed after a quick scan, "No new revelations have come up. That is rather unfortunate. Oh well. I suppose I will have to go back to ababa-pffffffff-"

She felt herself shake a bit, interrupting her monologue. In truth, she felt the wings on her back vibrate behind her, indicating that she was getting a phone call. She paused, checking out the number that just called her through a mental call display. Histoire blinked, "Odd. I do not recognize this number, though it is coming from Lowee. Let me pinpoint it just to be sure I am not getting scammed. Hmmm, calling from the Basilicom as well. Very well."

She cleared her throat, as the wings stopped vibrating while she answered, "Hello, you have reached the Planeptune Basilicom, Histoire's office. This is Histoire speaking. May I ask who is calling this number?"

"Oh! Uh, hello! This is Thomas calling! Er, Sorry to intrude there," Histoire heard the nervous male voice speaking on the call, "I am testing this phone and I thought I would give this number a call."

"Thomas?" Histoire tilted her head, "Might I ask why you are testing a phone, and why call this number?"

On the other side of the call, Thomas was back in the room he was resting at previously, returning to relax for the rest of the afternoon. While on the phone, he went over to the other end of the room, with the window overlooking the Basilicom entrance and out into Lowee.

Thomas answered, "Well, erm, I just bought a new phone, and I still remembered your office number. I also wanted to call to hear how you have been."

"How I've been," Histoire murmured, before replying, "I do appreciate that you took some time to call in. However, I do remember saying that you all should take some time to rest. Did I not?"

"In passing, yes," Thomas said as he glanced down out the window, barely hearing some commotion, "I am still resting, however. I just wanted to call."

"I see," Histoire said, smiling a little, "In that case, it is a pleasure to hear from you. Things have been busy, naturally. Hopefully with Lowee liberated, we'll find some other clues regarding this firewall."

"I hope so," Thomas said quietly, as he still wondered what was going on below.

"I do have something I can tell you, though," Histoire remembered, "Transportation between our nations should be a bit quicker now with the Guild pitching in. If you ever need to check back on Planeptune, Lowee, or any other freed location, you'll be able to Fast Travel there."

"Oh!" Thomas blinked, "That's oddly convenient."

You're telling me. I guess that means if there are any events in the future, they could be had in any freed location.

"Indeed," Histoire noted, "In any adventure, it is useful to do some backtracking. Neptune and the others have frequently gone back and forth between nations and dimensions during their travels."

"Is that so?" Thomas winced a bit, concerned about having a lot of ground to cover as the trek goes along.

"Do not worry," Histoire assured him, "The system will work so you won't have to go through all of those obstacles you went through earlier. Unless, you wish to?"

"No no," Thomas panicked, "That sounds fine by me. Although, given the intensity of the last few fights, I suppose I might need to grind some levels..."

"You will do fine," Histoire perked up, "I have listened to what IF said of the last fight. I do believe you are capable. Just remember to continue to rely on the others for support."

"I will," Thomas said, "It's my heart that I worry about..."

"I, I understand," Histoire thought a moment, "Do what you can. I am certain they will pull through."

"So am I," Thomas said as he kept his eyes down out the window.

Soon, he could see Neptune rushing out in the snow, laughing and diving away from a few snowballs. It seemed that the CPU decided to go out for a bit of exercise after all, engaging in a little bit of playing. She waved at her attacker, before taunting and diving behind some cover. Ram could be seen following after, throwing some snowballs she made and tucked in one of her arms. Neptune took the cover to make a few snowballs quickly and return fire. The two traded some volleys before Ram could find some cover some distance away, and the duo dug in their snow trenches to start their little snow war.

Thomas could hear a sigh from the phone, as Histoire lamented, "It is rather fortunate that it is times like these where Neptune actually pushes herself. If only she would put in that effort for her normal duties."

"I don't think that's fair to say," Thomas replied, eyeing the snowball war, "The efforts she's making right now are more than enough."

"She's probably taking this time to laze or goof around," Histoire muttered.

"Maybe that is fair to say," Thomas corrected himself.

"My apologies," Histoire said, "This is a time to relax for all of you, anyway. I just get frustrated, it seems."

"You know how I feel about this sort of thing," Thomas sighed a bit, "This is Neptune, after all. She's better off being herself."

"She still needs to perform her duties like everyone else, Thomas," Histoire said sternly, "I understand you feel otherwise, but you and I cannot let her slack off."

Thomas watched as the snowball fight continued, with no seeming advantage to either side, as Compa was returning from her own trip to the Lowee market, soon ducking her head from incoming snowballs. The two panicked and held their hands up in a momentary truce. However, since they did manage to hit Compa a bit in the crossfire, the nurse was soon making her own snowballs, and chased the two around to try and hit them back.

"To make Neptune that good would take ages," Thomas replied back, "At such a time when the CPUs are friendly with each other, would it not be best to let it be? Can we not enjoy this... this... Pax Neptunia?"

A brief pause, then Thomas shook his head, "That sounded terrible, let me take that term back."

"Term aside," Histoire said, "Despite this peace, we have had many a crisis. It has been rather chaotic, with a lot put on everyone's shoulders. You knew how difficult it got for all of us during the Ultradimension crisis."

Thomas frowned, rubbing his eyes with his free hand, "Yeah, I know. I just... I don't know, but, I just feel like this Neptune is the one that holds it together somehow. I've seen the friendships blossoming between her and the other CPUs, the other nations... and I can't help but admire that."

As Ram and Neptune were buried by the snow pile that Compa created, Histoire remarked, "Admirable it may be. It's still important for her to take some more responsibility. I must persist in reminding her."

Thomas sighed softly, "Yeah, well, I did decide to leave Planeptune after Ultradimension. Had I stayed, I am sure I would've continued to try to enable Neptune's laziness."

"That was the reasoning you gave when you told me that day," Histoire remembered, "Although, it was a shame. I appreciated the assistance you offered in the Basilicom."

"You did?" Thomas blinked, as he looked away from the window, the snowball war ending in third-party intervention. Thomas thought a moment, "I wasn't sure about that."

"While we might have argued," Histoire said as she scratched her little chin, "The assistance was greatly appreciated."

Thomas turned away from the window in thought, "Is that so?" After a beat, he spoke, "Maybe I had this all wrong. Perhaps instead of trying to lighten up Neptune's workload, I should've been lightening up yours?"

"Technically, you were, since most of what I give Neptune would've been done by me anyway," Histoire noted.

"No, I mean," Thomas continued on his train of thought, "Maybe if I lighten up more of your workload, you'll have more free time. It always seems like you get stressed from all the work."

"Th-that isn't really necessary," Histoire winced, "It would be impossible for you to do all the work required."

"Not even a little bit?" Thomas asked, "Wouldn't it be nice to have some time to relax, maybe take up a hobby? Do you have any?"

"Seriously, Thomas," Histoire flustered, "I am a tome, created to help record history-"

"You are not just a tome, Histoire," Thomas interrupted, "You're our colleague, our confidant, our friend. At least, I think of all of us as friends... colleagues, at least. The point is, if the goddesses can relax, even get lazy from time to time, then so can you. Do you not wish to enjoy the world you and the others helped shape?"

"I do take the time to stop and smell the roses, as the saying goes!" Histoire complained, "I take three minutes out of my schedule every day to cool down."

"Minutes?" Thomas shook his head at this, "You need a lot more than three minutes a day to enjoy things. At least make it three hours or so!"

"I do sleep to charge my batteries as well," Histoire noted.

"Sleep doesn't count as free time," Thomas grumbled, "Though I am glad to hear you take rest. I worry if you are some sort of insomniac tome... do tomes have trouble sleeping?"

"Regardless," Histoire said, "Even when I am doing things like talking with others or on a phone call such as this one, I always am on other tasks. I cannot simply make such time when I am not working."

"Really?" Thomas asked, somewhat disappointed, "Is there anything you'd rather do just for yourself, now and then? Reading other books? Drawing? Pottery? Wildwater racing?"

Histoire closed her eyes at the last one, "I'd rather not get wet. Please, Thomas, do not worry so much."

"I just... alright," Thomas sighed, "I'll let you be, then. My apologies if I was bothering you."

"It's alright, it was not a bother," Histoire said quietly, "For what it's worth, I do appreciate the thought."

"Y-yeah," Thomas spoke in a deflated tone, "Anyway, I'll be going now. Probably grab a bite to eat before the night comes, then head to sleep. Histoire, thanks for taking the call. Take care of yourself, alright?"

"You too, Thomas," Histoire said, "We all have much to do in the coming days."

"True," Thomas said, "Talk to you later."

"Sleep well," Histoire said, as the two ended their call. Histoire was left alone to think for three seconds or so on the topic discussed. Perhaps it was time to take up a personal hobby? She then winced, thinking about herself kayaking down a river. Why would he suggest such a thing for a tome?

Meanwhile, back at Lowee's Basilicom, Thomas glanced down at his phone a moment after ending the call, turning back to the window. Why did he suggest such a thing for a tome, anyway? In any case, Thomas just shook his head of it, and looked back outside to see the snow piles gone. The sun was just starting to set, and Thomas looked back up at the scenic sight of Lowee, before he was surprised by a flying goddess popping up from below.

"Aaah!" Thomas flinched, falling back and landing on his rear. The goddess in question, Purple Heart, laughed a bit at the sight, "Surprise! You should have seen the look on your face there!" She beamed, "I noticed you were watching our little snow fight there, so I thought I would say hello-"

Suddenly, Purple Heart felt a familiar chill hit the back of her head, "Ow."

"Gotcha!" Ram, transformed into her CPU form, called from down below, "CPU snowball fight! We got to have a winner this time!"

Purple Heart turned around, glaring down at her accuser, "Hey, that is not fair! I am much a bigger target now in this form."

"You're also really fast and probably got a better aim," Ram argued, "All I hear is someone making an excuse for losing!"

"I will not lose!" Purple Heart exclaimed, "I will bury you in snow, just you wait!"

The CPU, having turned her attention back to the challenge dashed down as the two soon zipped around the Basilicom, throwing snowballs at each other. Naturally, because of the fact they were flying around, the snowballs would miss their target, and hit others things. The windows, for instance.

Thomas slowly got back up, muttering about Neptune surprising him like that as the war continued. He soon got distracted by a vibration from his new cellphone. "Huh? What's this? A text message?"

After a bit of reading, Thomas sighed, "My first day and I'm already getting ads?" He went over to try and delete the ad for some motorcycles on sale. They didn't look too appealing to him, especially with the bright colors. Just because the dealership was in Planeptune, doesn't mean they needed bright purple motorcycles.

At least, that's what he thought. To each their own.


	29. Intermission: The Drawing

**"I'm thankful you all came to help us." (Blanc)**

* * *

For this event, we must simply go back in time, to a period where Gamindustri was not dealing with a firewall, or monsters from another dimension, or whatever dangers the CPUs faced.

It was an important day for Blanc, the CPU of Lowee. Earlier that day, she met with a couple of Planeptune officials to discuss several topics on Planeptune-Lowee relations. It wasn't particularly exciting, but for Blanc, that was a blessing.

Normally when she had to deal with Planeptune, she would end up dealing with Neptune herself, who would come and make a mess of things. It's not that she disliked her, despite the times she may have raised her hammer in rage. It's just that Neptune would drive her crazy with her antics. It was difficult to get work done whenever she was around.

There have been other times, when Planeptune would instead send the more calm and studious Nepgear, which was a nice change of pace. Lately, however, Planeptune sent a group of officials to do the work. This wasn't so bothersome, but they generally didn't hang around after the work was done.

A few individuals sometimes stayed in Lowee for a time before returning back home, and one in particular stayed in the Basilicom on occasion. The man politely asked one day if he could check out the library, and since then has dropped in any time he visited to check on the books after work.

Blanc didn't mind him in the library at all. This person, Thomas, was calm and orderly in the library, never making too much noise or being a bother. Apparently, he was a former citizen of Lastation who tended to relax in places such as these. She would later find out another reason why he stayed indoors. He despised the cold weather outside. Still, it was not too bad to have a visitor check out the library, and keep things in order when he left.

In some ways, it reminded her of the few times Noire would visit. Sometimes there would be a book she needed to read up on in Lowee, and Noire would spend some time quietly reading through it. This was on the rare occasion, though. Thomas was becoming a more frequent guest. Plus, he wasn't trying to tell her how great his nation was or look for some attention, or whatever it was that Noire did to try and make friends that day.

One day, Blanc saw Thomas back in the library after the official talks were done. This time, he was looking through a few of the fictional books Blanc had been reading. Again, she did not mind, as Thomas was careful to put everything back in place afterwards.

As the day was winding down, Thomas gently put the last book he was reading back, rubbing his eyes afterwards as he was getting tired, "That should be enough for today." He muttered this to himself as left his usual reading spot and walked towards the exit. Blanc was at another desk, reading another book, before noticing the man leaving, "Oh! You're finished for today?"

Thomas nodded a little, "That's right, Lady Blanc. I'm heading back to the hotel to sleep before heading back home in the morning. Again, thank you for allowing me to come read here."

"It's no problem," Blanc responded, as she closed the book and stood up from her seat. She closed her eyes briefly, pondering something before saying, "Actually, do you mind if I ask you to do a favor for me?"

"Hmm?" Thomas was surprised by this, "O-of course, Lady Blanc. What is it that I could possibly do for you?"

"Follow me," Blanc said as she headed to the library exit, as Thomas promptly followed.

They exited into the Basilicom hallway, with Thomas catching up to walk beside the CPU. Blanc could tell that the man was a bit nervous. His eyes were darting about the place, not sure where he would end up. She smiled a bit, "No need to be nervous. This shouldn't be too difficult."

"Er, right," Thomas flustered, "Apologies, Lady Blanc. It's just, what could I possibly do as a favor to one of the goddesses?"

"Tell me," Blanc got right to it, "Do you know of any events happening today?"

Thomas glanced up, trying to recall from memory, "I believe there is a nearby book signing today?"

"Correct," Blanc nodded, "There is a book signing at the market today, with a local author releasing a new book in their series. I personally would like to check it out, and maybe got myself a copy."

"Ah," Thomas said, "It must be an honor for an author to be visited by a CPU to sign a copy of their book."

"Not really," Blanc admitted, "When I go to these events, I go as a simple reader." She then muttered, "Besides, they are better authors than I am."

"Oh?" Thomas blinked, curious at the end there, "Did you say something at the end there?"

"It's nothing," Blanc said, "In any case, I like to go and meet with the author."

Thomas thought a moment, and said, "Alright. I am not sure what that has to do with me." He blinked, "You need me to go with you?"

Blanc blinked, "Uh, n-no, it's not that." She shook her head of the thought, "Actually, I need someone to stay behind while I head off for a few hours. Specifically, I need someone to keep an eye on my sisters."

"I see," Thomas idly said, before the words sank into his mind. His eyes widened, "Wait, you want me to babysit?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it that," Blanc remarked, "I just need someone to keep an eye on them while I'm out."

"Uhhh," Thomas grimaced, "Do you not have anyone else in the Basilicom to handle this?"

"Actually, no," Blanc shook her head, "Our last Oracle has left on a personal journey a long time ago, and we don't have anyone to replace her. As for the others, most of the staff have headed home for the evening, and the rest are not so eager." She muttered a few words under her breath.

"That is rather unfortunate," Thomas said, rubbing the back of his neck, "But why me? What am I supposed to do?"

"Just make sure they are out of trouble for a while," Blanc stated, "It shouldn't be a problem. Rom is very well-behaved, and Ram..."

"And Ram?" Thomas asked, confused for a second. At this point in time, he was not too familiar with the two CPU candidates.

"It should be fine," Blanc responded without really alleviating Thomas' fears, "I just want you to keep an eye on them. If something does happen, you can let me know when I return. I'll be able to take it from there."

"Are you sure it will be fine?" Thomas was concerned at this point. He never really had to deal with children so much, and it was already odd that he would be placed to check on two that happen to be the CPU candidates. How do you babysit a goddess anyway? How did the previous Oracle of Lowee manage when she was around? She didn't leave because of stuff like this, was it? Thomas sweatdropped as questions like these ran through his head.

"Yes," Blanc said bluntly, "It won't take too long, really. I trust it will be alright." The two stopped by another room in the Basilicom, as Blanc went to the door, "Wait here. I'll go speak with them."

"Uh, okay," Thomas said as he stood nervously along the wall. Blanc sighed a bit, "Relax for a damn minute, will you?"

Thomas arched his eyebrows, "Sorry."

Blanc shook her head, "I only hope I did not make a mistake."

* * *

Blanc had talked with the twins to let them know she would be out, and soon left towards to the market. Meanwhile, back in the Basilicom, the twins went to the kitchen to grab a late snack. As the two got themselves some milk to drink, Thomas sat somewhere else in the kitchen, going into his thoughts.

He frowned a bit, thinking about how odd the situation was. Here he was, a Planeptune bureaucrat, keeping an eye on the Lowee twins while the CPU went off to a book signing. It wasn't so much the situation itself that was odd to him, but the fact that it was CPUs. He then recalled that his experiences so far with the other CPUs should have prepared him. Neptune certainly wasn't what he thought a goddess would be like. Even Nepgear wasn't quite what he expected when he finally met her. Then again, his first sight of a CPU was still hard to believe, recalling Nepgear saving him from that Fenrir so long ago.

Of the goddesses he's encountered so far, Thomas thought Blanc fit the role more. Whenever he came over to Lowee to discuss things, Blanc was very attentive. She acted like a person well aware of what was happening in her nation, and was confident in her actions. Thomas thought she also acted with an air of elegance that was missing from the others in Planeptune. Like a queen, perhaps?

Thomas winced, recalling that even with that, Blanc had her own odd quirks. Much like a certain red queen, Blanc had a hell of a temper. Although he's yet to incur such a wrath, Blanc did scare him whenever she flipped out. Thankfully, no one lost their heads, although that giant hammer was rather intimidating. In addition to all of that, Thomas had noticed that Blanc was extremely interested in literature. He even saw a few times she was trying to do some writing in the midst of her meetings.

Thomas sighed softly. He had researched much about Gamindustri. Yet, he was not prepared to find that those who people would rely on to protect them and run their nations were so... human? Was that the word he was looking for?

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling out right beside him, giving him a brief jump, "Hey mister! You okay there? You look like you have a headache or something."

Thomas snapped out of his thoughts to look over at the quizzical Ram, who had put away her drink and was now looking at him with some concern. "Uh, yeah, I'm alright," Thomas said sheepishly, "I was just thinking about some things."

"Just thinking? How boring," Ram frowned, "You should do something more fun, especially if you're hanging with us!"

"Th-that's not really needed," Thomas said, not really eager to do some activity.

Ram shook her head, then waved a finger in front of him, "Nope! I refuse to let you sulk in the corner. Come on, let's do something!"

"Do something?" Thomas asked, confused to what Ram had in mind.

"I dunno," Ram admitted, "Didn't you do stuff when you were a kid?"

"Uhhh," Thomas stuttered as he glanced away, "I didn't really have much of a childhood. I mostly tended to the crops and read as a kid, living far away from other people."

"O-oh," Ram blinked at Thomas' recalling, "Well, how about something simple?"

"I got an idea," Rom popped into the conversation, standing beside Ram, "We could just do a bit of drawing."

"Excellent, Rom!" Ram grinned at her sister, "We should make some nice drawings for when Big Sis gets back!"

"I'll go get some of Blanc's books," Rom smiled happily, "She'll like it for certain this time!"

"Actually, let me get some paper," Thomas interjected quickly, "You two can get what you need to draw with." He vaguely remembered one meeting where Blanc was frustrated by her sisters' doodling in her books. He also sometimes came across some of the 'art' whenever he browsed through the library.

"That'd be nice of you, mister!" Ram stated, "We'll be in the room across from here. That's where we do our super cool drawings."

"Okay," Thomas nodded, getting up from his seat, "I'll meet you there."

He didn't want to leave them for a second, but he didn't want the two to be 'improving' Blanc's literature while he was on watch. That would not bode well.

* * *

Thankfully, Thomas found plenty of paper to borrow, and ran back over to the room to make sure the twins were there. They were, setting up a table with plenty of pencils and crayons tossed into a cup for them to use. Relieved they didn't run off, Thomas walked into the room, eventually making his way to the table and placing down the stack of papers.

"Oh, just plain paper?" Ram asked, a bit surprised, but then shrugged, "It'll do! So, let's get to drawing!"

"Okay Ram!" Rom exclaimed, as she quickly grabbed a crayon and began pondering what to draw.

"You too, mister," Ram pointed Thomas over to an empty seat at the table, "There will be no sulking in the corner this time!"

"M-me?" Thomas cringed, "B-but I haven't really drawn in a long, long time!"

"Don't worry about it!" Ram grinned, "Just draw what ya like! We won't judge how it looks! Okay, I'm lying. But please, join in. It'll pass the time until Big Sis gets back."

"Y-you have a point," Thomas said as he went over to the seat, "Not sure what I want to draw, however."

"If so, I have an idea for all of us!" Ram beamed, as she was happy to come up with something, "Since we're all waiting for Big Sis to come back, let's draw a picture of her!"

"Great idea, Ram!" Rom exclaimed, "I was not sure what I wanted to draw, but now I do!"

"I'll give it a try," Thomas said, "I don't know if I'll be good or not, but I'll try."

Ram nodded, grinning from ear to ear, "I can't wait to see what we come up with!"

Thomas grabbed a pencil, and briefly tapped on the paper with his eraser, once more thinking. It didn't take him too long to think of what he wanted to draw. On the plus side, this activity would keep the twins busy for the time.

Time went on, as Ram confidently drew a picture of her big sister playing Whack-A-Dogoo, using plenty of squiggly lines and effects to emphasize the action. Rom, meanwhile, was drawing a basic family portrait of her and her sisters standing in front of the Basilicom.

Thomas, meanwhile, struggled as he kept going back with the eraser to correct what he saw were mistakes. He was progressing, but rather slowly compared to the two artists.

As Thomas finally had an idea what he was going to draw, even getting some crayons to add some color, Rom leaned over to take a look. Her eyes widened at the drawing, and she exclaimed, "Oh! Are you sure you haven't drawn in a long time?"

Thomas looked up from his drawing to Rom, "Uh, well, yeah. I haven't drawn since I was little. Wh-what do you think? How is it?"

"It looks really good!" Rom said as she looked over the drawing, "That's some really nice detail on the face!"

Ram looked up from her drawing, and stood up, "What? I wanna see!" She walked a few steps over to check on what Thomas drew. Her eyes also widened at what she saw. After a beat, she said quietly, "It's okay, I guess."

"Is that so?" Thomas asked, not really sure of his artistic talent, "I am just drawing what comes to mind when it comes to Lady Blanc."

"It looks very much like her!" Rom smiled.

"It kinda does, yeah," Ram admitted, but went over quickly to her complaint, "The coloring is a bit off, though."

Rom blinked, and squinted a little, "Oh dear! Mister, you have some color going over the lines."

"Huh?" Thomas paused and looked over his drawing, "Oh dear, looks like it. I did do some drawing as a kid, but I guess I didn't do any coloring. Oops."

"Remind me never to give you my coloring book, mister," Ram joked.

"I just need to practice more," Thomas sighed a bit, "Still, I'm glad you think it looks good. Er, aside from the color spilling out."

Ram arched an eyebrow, and said with a hint of reluctance in her voice, "It's not so bad. It does look a little nice. Just a little."

"O-okay," Thomas nodded, "I'm glad you both think so highly. Thank you both."

"You should sign it!" Rom suggested, "We can keep it and hang it on the fridge here."

Thomas coughed a bit, stifling a laugh, "I don't think we need to hang it anywhere, but thanks all the same." He smirked, "I'll add a signature though, because why not?"

The twins looked down at the drawing as Thomas went to the corner to sign it. He was feeling a bit silly signing it, so instead of making a serious signature, he signed it in simple printing, with a shortened name.

"Tom?" Rom read it aloud, "Isn't your name Thomas, mister?"

"It's just a shorter name," Thomas answered, "I wanted to put a simple signature."

"That will do," Ram said, heading back to her seat, "I gotta put the finishing touches on mine."

Rom giggled a bit, and returned to her drawing. Thomas blinked and looked back to his drawing, wondering if it really was as good as the two made it out to be. Was it really worth hanging on a fridge?

* * *

The book signing went well, as Blanc walked back to the Basilicom with a signed copy of the latest book. She held the book to her chest, feeling rather happy to get a chance to talk about writing with the author. She's been trying to become a better author for the longest time, and finally got enough courage to start asking for help. She was concerned she would be made fun of for this, but surprisingly the people she's talked to so far have been supportive. Overall, it has been a positive experience for her.

Opening the Basilicom doors, she was quickly greeted by Ram, who jumped in to hug her. "Welcome back, Big Sis!" Ram exclaimed as Blanc scrambled not to lose her book during the squeeze.

"Ram," Blanc flustered, "I was only out for a few hours." She paused, "You didn't do anything while I was gone, did you?"

"We just did some drawings while you were out," Ram said simply, as Thomas slowly caught up to the two, waving a little hello to the CPU.

"You... did?" Blanc winced.

"No books were harmed in the making of those drawings," Thomas joked, smiling a little.

Blanc phewed, relieved that her books were safe. Meanwhile, Ram grinned, "We drew some good pictures! In fact, I gotta show you a really good one!"

Blanc smiled a bit, "Oh?"

Ram tittered, and pulled out one of the drawings from her inventory, "Yep! Me and Rom weren't the only ones who did a drawing. Mister Tom also did a drawing!"

"Tom?" Blanc seemed puzzled, glancing over at the man, who also had a similar expression. Apparently he wasn't aware Ram took the drawing.

"Yep! It's even signed and everything! Here, Blanc!" Ram offered the drawing, still grinning, "It's a drawing of you! He even said it's what he thought when it came to you!"

"Really?" Blanc was actually curious, as she took the drawing from Ram and looked over at it. She blinked a few times, before her expression soured. Her eyes stared up at Thomas, "Is this what you thought?"

Thomas blinked, and felt a chill up his spine, "Wh-what do you mean?"

Ram inched away from the irritated Blanc, who turned the drawing around to show it. The drawing was of transformed Blanc, posing defiantly and clearly looking angry, ready to attack. Thomas sweatdropped, with Blanc muttering, "Is this the first thing you think of? Someone always angry?"

"N-no, that's not it at all!" Thomas protested, waving his hands in front of him, "That's not the first-"

"That I'm always looking for something to smash?" Blanc seethed, dropping the book she had as she folded the drawing.

Thomas shook his head a lot, "Absolutely not! I have a reason for-"

"I appreciate you staying here to keep an eye on the twins, **Tom,** " Blanc saying coldly, emphasizing the signature, "But you should be heading out."

"Lady Blanc, please, let me-"

"Now." Blanc said plainly, as she stared a hole into Thomas.

Thomas panicked, and started to move around Blanc, heading out into the cold while trying to keep some distance. He'll have to explain some other time, but he certainly did not want to incur her wrath. He was starting to see a bit of the hammer, and did not want to stay around.

He did stay at the hotel that night, but quickly fled back to Planeptune by the morning. He was sure after that, he would not be back in Lowee for quite a while.

Thomas was surprised when it wasn't long that he returned for another meeting. In fact, Blanc was back to her friendly demeanor with him. It was like the drawing never happened.

* * *

We fast-forward to the present day, back at the Basilicom. Near the end of the day, Uzume yawned as she walked down the Basilicom hallway. She was a little tired, but there was something at the back of her mind she wanted to do.

She walked to a door in the hallway, and gave it a gentle knock. She heard a muffled, "Who is it?"

Uzume smiled a bit, and exclaimed, "Hey Ramsy! Mind if I come in?"

"Oh! Uzume! Sure thing! Me and Rom are here!" Ram said happily as the door opened for Uzume to come into the twins' bedroom.

"It's good to see you again, Uzume!" Rom smiled over at her, as she was resting on her bed.

"Same to you, Romsy. I'm happy we were able to save you," Uzume beamed, "How are you two doing today?"

"It was really nice to be back home," Rom said, "And have a good meal as well. Everyone's been really nice to us."

"That's because we did a good job!" Ram grinned at her sister, "We helped so many people and held off those meanie robots!"

"We sure did, Ram," Rom nodded.

"Heh, you two were strong, and brave, to handle all of that," Uzume complimented them, "I'm impressed with how cool you two were."

"You guys were cool, too!" Ram exclaimed, "And now, we can work together again to beat up the baddies!"

"Absolutely!" Uzume said as she glanced behind her, before speaking again, "Anyway, I came here to ask you two about something."

"Oh, is it something only we can answer?" Ram said excitely, "Because I'm super smart, you know. So go ahead, ask me anything!"

"It's nothing like that, Ramsy," Uzume laughed, "But I do think you might be able to answer all the same. It's about your big sister, and since you two know more about her than anyone else, I'd thought I'd ask!"

"Big Sis?" Rom blinked, "But if you wanted to know more about her, shouldn't you ask her?"

"Oooooh," Ram seemed more excited, "Are you trying to ask for juicy gossip behind her back?"

"Nonono, it's not that, I just feel kinda embarrassed if I asked her," Uzume said a lie, laughing nervously, "Eheh, anyway, I'm just asking about how she is with Tomsy."

"Tom?" Rom blinked, "This is about Tom too?"

Ram clapped her hands together, "Hahaha, is Uzume jealous or something?"

"Wh-what? No, that's not it at all!" Uzume said, "It's just, I was wondering about why she seems so friendly to him."

"Just wondering? Big Sis is always friendly to him," Rom answered, "Tom is a nice person, and Blanc is glad whenever he's come to help in Lowee."

"Did something happen?" Ram asked, before saying, "The two are both big nerds, so I guess Blanc took to him."

"Is that all?" Uzume asked, looking like that wasn't enough. Uzume remembered quite vividly that hug Blanc gave Thomas on their meeting. Sure, the two might have some similarities, but would that be enough?

"What do you mean, is that all?" Ram looked at Uzume's expression curiously.

"Sorry," Uzume said while holding her chin with a hand, "I don't know if that's enough to make me understand."

"I'll ask again: Did something happen?" Ram peered at Uzume's face, "Did Blanc do something crazy?"

"I won't say what it was," Uzume said, "I promised not to say. Still, what I can say, it was not something crazy, just... unusual."

The twins looked to each other, wondering for a second, before the two looked back, eyes wide.

"She kissed him?" The two asked in a bit of shock.

"Wh-what? No! It wasn't that friendly, geez!" Uzume's cheeks reddened, "It was just..." She winced, "I'm not telling! Nope!"

"You're bad at this," Uzume froze up as she heard a voice behind her. What she thought was a closed door was opened just enough for Blanc to overhear the conversation.

Blanc scowled at Uzume, "Seriously, I expect you to bring it up to Vert the first moment we see her again."

Uzume laughed nervously once more, being put on the spot. Ram, however, cut in, pushing Uzume aside and pointing at her big sister, "Blanc! For the sake of your sisters, we must know precisely what happened!"

"I don't have to tell you anything," Blanc grumbled, before she saw the pleading faces of both her sisters, as well as Uzume somehow.

After a pause, Blanc sighed, "Fine." She closed the door behind her, and went over to sit on the bed near Rom, "You want to know so badly, I might as well. Just, please, please, don't tell anyone else. I'm already embarassed as is."

Rom tilted her head, "It's okay, Big Sis."

"So, what is it? What scandalous thing did you do?" Ram pointed accusingly at her.

"It was... a hug," Blanc muttered, "Just a hug."

Ram paused, then frowned, "A hug? That's it? Pffft, lame."

Rom blinked at Blanc, "Did he or you-" Blanc responded on who started the hug by pointing at herself.

"What's the deal, then?" Uzume asked, before Blanc glared over at her. Uzume hesitated, and said politely, "Er, if you don't mind, that is. I was just asking."

"I was just happy to see someone at the time," Blanc said, "I felt weak for quite a while, and to see anyone after some time alone was a relief."

"And Tom?" Ram prodded.

"We have some similar interests, sure," Blanc said, looking away for a moment, as though that was all she could say.

The three leaned their heads closer, waiting for that part that would explain things more.

"I don't know," Blanc finally spoke, feeling the pressure, "Ever since the drawing, I grew to appreciate him a little more."

"The drawing?" Uzume was puzzled.

Ram followed on that, and looked equally confused, "The drawing? You mean the one Tom made so long ago?"

After a nod from Blanc, Ram was still confused, "That doesn't make any sense! I remembered that drawing! The one with your transformed self all angry and stuff! You weren't happy at all with one. So much so that you told Tom to leave. End of story!"

"That's not quite true," Rom said to her sister, "There's a bit more after that."

"I missed something, Rom?" Ram blinked.

Rom would explain the following flashback. Let's go there, shall we?

* * *

Back where the group was drawing, Rom was busy putting some of the crayons away. As she did, Blanc wandered into the room, still looking irritated. She sighed as she went to one of the smaller bookshelves, and putting the book that was signed away there.

"Welcome back, Big Sis!" Rom said happily as she went over to the drawing table.

"Hello, Rom," Blanc smiled weakly, "I guess you're cleaning up around here?"

"Yeah," Rom took the cup that was holding some of the pencils, "I was waiting for mister Tom to come back to help."

"He had to go early," Blanc said before looking over the table, "I'll help out here."

"Oh, okay," Rom said as she took the remaining pencils to put them away. Blanc, meanwhile, looked over the table, and went through the papers . She was sorting through the mess, before noticing something beneath the pile. She paused, looking down at it, and noticed a familiar signature.

"Huh?" Blanc looked at what appeared to be a different drawing. She then asked, "Rom? This thing here? Did Thomas, er, Tom, did he draw this?"

Rom paused to look at the drawing Blanc was still looking at, "Oh! Yep! We had a bit of time, so we drew a couple of drawings. This was his first one. I don't see the other one he drew." Rom glanced around the table, but couldn't find the one that was nabbed by Ram earlier.

Blanc took the drawing and gave it a look. It was a different one from the one she saw earlier. It was of Blanc, in her human form, sitting at a chair with a book on her lap. One of the last few things she saw on the drawing was the detail on her face. Even though the coloring was off, she could see a small smile on her face.

* * *

As Rom finished recalling the brief flashback, Uzume was in thought.

Ram laughed, "So she saw the other drawing too, huh? I thought it was just the one she saw."

"It was more than just that, wasn't it, Blanc?" Uzume asked.

Blanc blinked, then nodded, "I can see you're perceptive."

Rom raised her eyebrows, "You figured something out, Uzume?"

Uzume smiled, "It's one thing to just look at the two drawings on their own, but I believe Tomsy was showing Blanc's good points in both. Calm and collected in her human form, with a kind smile. In CPU form, a defiant fighter who will stand up to anything in her way." She clapped her hands together, "All in all, Blanc has seen the fine details in the drawing to see that Blanc is not just a goddess, but a person too. It's his way of coming to grips with that realization."

Blanc nodded, "That it is. The amount of detail would show that. The way he covered my battle stance, or my little smile, or the size of my chest."

"Exactly! Wait, what?" Uzume rapidly blinked at Blanc.

"Tom has never mentioned anything about my size since our first meetings," Blanc muttered, as the three eyed her oddly. She continued despite this, "But I remembered that on both drawings, I can see the amazing amount of detail. The fact that he would notice showed that he knows quite a bit about me. Sure, they were a little on the small side, a minor error, but they were there all the same."

"Is she seriously this shallow?" Uzume asked quietly to Ram, "If anything, that just makes it sound like Tomsy's a creepy person."

"I want to say no, but even I can't lie like that," Ram sighed. The two drooped their shoulders as Blanc closed her eyes, blushing a bit.

Rom shook her head. She did not want to say it aloud to any of them, but she certainly saw the drawings too. What Blanc probably saw instead was a smudge, or an effect of Tom's weird coloring. At least, that was what Rom assumed was the case.

The damage had been done, however. Uzume already regretted asking.


	30. Intermission: Reading Magic

**("Here are the final intermission events! Act III shall be up soon. Also, starting from here on in, I shall be dropping the** _ **wacky italics**_ **from the writing to denote speaking. At first, I chose it as a way to stylize this story. However, looking back, and reading feedback, I realize it had been a mistake. My deepest of apologies to the readers for this inconvenience. I may go back one day and somehow fix all the previous chapters, but for now, consider this the transition point.**

 **As I have said before, I appreciate any and all feedback. It not only gives me some things to think about going forward, it also means there are people actually reading this, and I am not just writing into an empty void or something. For that, I am utterly grateful. Again, thank you.**

 **Enjoy!" - The Italic Happy Author Of Doom)**

* * *

 **"I hope our picture books are all okay." (Rom)**

* * *

The Lowee Basilicom was home to one of Gamindustri's biggest and oldest libraries. Because of the CPU's ongoing love with literature, the library has been well-maintained, updated with many new books almost on a daily basis. During the firewall, robots had attacked the Basilicom a few times, although they had been repelled by the many adventurers and citizens who stood up for their nation. However, that didn't stop the Basilicom from getting some damage. The most had been around the library. In the few days since, Financier had the Basilicom staff and any willing volunteers working to repair the damage.

One day, during the party's rest period in Lowee, Blanc wanted to check the library herself, despite knowing she won't like the mess. Hearing this, Thomas asked to come along so he could help out. In addition, Rom wanted to join in as well, much to Blanc's initial surprise. The young CPU candidate said she wanted to help in any way she can with her sister, offering some support. Blanc accepted the help, and the three made their way to the library along with Financier.

Blanc paused at the doors to the library, and took a few deep breaths. She promised herself to be calm, knowing the people are working hard to fix things. She then pushed the doors open, looking out into the large library.

On the plus side, most of the walls have been patched up, as a couple of workers were gathered around the one remaining hole in a far-off section. The workers had to go around the outer edges of the library, however, as many bookshelves were toppled over. Although some books were set aside into unorganized piles, just to make going around easier, the library was a definite mess.

Blanc's expression was pretty easy to read. Despite her trying really hard to hold herself, she broke down within a few seconds, yelling to the ceiling in a fit of anger.

 **"Aaaaaaaaaugh! Those freakin' bastards! I'll kill the lot of them! You hear me, mindless automatons! Dead!"**

"Yikes! It's like I stepped into a messy hoarder's house."

"Guh!" Blanc was brought down from her rage, looking back, "What the? Neptune?"

"Lady Neptune? What brings you here?" Financier asked, as Neptune walked in behind the group.

"Hey guys, don't mind me, just being a bored protag," Neptune faked a yawn, "Anywho, I was strolling through the Basilicom and saw all of you heading somewhere, so I followed." Quick to talk, she looked over to the library, "Those robots did a number on this place, huh?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," Thomas said, "Makes me wonder why they targeted this part of the Basilicom, specifically."

Neptune shrugged, "Other than make dear Blanny angry, I dunno."

Rom looked to Neptune, "We're here to help with Big Sis and the others in cleaning this up."

"Oh," Neptune acted surprised, then smiled sheepishly, "Mind if I help out? Much as I like sleeping about the rest of the day, I don't mind a little moving around now and then."

"Eh?" Blanc blinked at Neptune's odd offer. Before she could protest or react more, Financier smiled, "Of course, Lady Neptune. We appreciate any help you could provide."

"Sounds good!" Neptune stood heroically, "With the main protagonist here, we'll get this library to be spick and span in no time!"

"I doubt that," Blanc murmured, "Just do what we tell you and this will work out."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n Blanny," Neptune did a mock salute as she smiled happily at the irritated Blanc. Blanc eventually sighed, and motioned everyone to follow her in.

As the group went inside, Thomas went beside Neptune, with Rom overhearing him talking to the Planeptune goddess, "It's nice of you to come by. You wanted to help her out from the start, didn't you?"

"Eheh, saw through it, didn't ya?" Neptune said quietly, "Well, I wasn't lying about the bored part. Normally, I wouldn't want to do something like this, but this is something dear to Blanny, so I couldn't help but poke in."

"So you waited until we all came here to poke your nose in," Thomas added.

"Eh? Well, uh," Neptune stammered, "You figured that out too?"

"She probably would've said no if you went up earlier and asked, right? That was what you thought?" Thomas pressed a bit.

"Sheesh, did you read ahead or something?" Neptune joked, "But yeah, that was it. It's all about the timing. Sometimes being a nosy person has its perks."

Thomas smirked, "All the same, I'm glad you're here to help out."

"Of course!" Neptune beamed, as Rom giggled a bit from behind them.

The two peered their heads back to see Rom give Neptune a surprise hug, "I'm glad too! Thanks for coming to help my sister!"

"Not a problem, little Rom," Neptune patted her on the head, "Anything to help out my friends."

Financier, who was beside Blanc in the front, looked back to see the bonding, and smiled, "It's nice to see everyone getting along."

Blanc glanced back, a little flustered seeing her sister hugging Neptune, and called out, "Hurry up here already!" She wanted to say more, but held back just to keep things brief.

"Better get to it," Thomas said to the two, as he quickened his pace to follow Blanc and Financier.

* * *

The group went to the center of the messy library. Financier nodded to Blanc and went off to check on the workers. Blanc proceeded to bring Neptune with her to help with lifting the bookshelves back up, in addition to any other heavy lifting. Thomas and Rom were tasked to sort out the fallen books into organized stacks, so that they would put back in the right place. The task was not too difficult, as both of them were familiar with the library enough to know what went where.

Rom stopped a moment after she saw a few familiar books. She set some other books aside and slowly picked one up. As she opened it up and looked inside, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's still safe," Rom muttered, closing the book and holding it close to her.

"Hmm?" Thomas overheard her as he set aside a stack of novels, "Something up, Rom?"

"I found one of the old picture books Blanc would read to me," Rom said as she turned it around to show Thomas, "I was worried it might have been damaged."

Thomas smiled a bit, "That's good to hear." He squinted at the book, "That book looks a little familiar."

Rom giggled, nodding, "Yep! This was one of the books you've read to me and Ram during one of the days you visited. Actually, many people read it to us. Blanc, Miss Nepgear, Umio, we even had Uni try to read it."

Thomas arched an eyebrow at the mention of Umio, but he was brought out of it by the thought of Uni trying to read out a picture book, "Uni, huh? That must've been an interesting experience."

Rom responded with a quick nod, "Uh huh! She was a bit embarrassed, but she managed by the end."

Neptune decided to take a little break from lifting heavy objects, going over to sit down near the two. Thomas laughed a bit, "So it's a favorite of yours, huh?"

"Well, it's not my favorite," Rom said of the conveniently nondescript book, "But it does have a place in my heart. Having people reading to me adds a new, happy memory."

"That's wonderful," Thomas said as he closed his eyes, "Having those kinds of memories will help as you grow more."

Rom blinked a bit, "It does? I just like to see how people read the stories I enjoy." She smiled, "The reactions between people is fun to watch."

"Oh?" Thomas said, "I guess that's why you had Uni read that one time."

Rom nodded, "It was also why I asked you to read." She laughed, "Your reaction in reading was interesting."

Neptune, quietly listening, perked up at the last bit Rom said, and leaned in a little to hear. Thomas grimaced, "Reaction?"

"Actually, it's more like you're happy in what you're reading," Rom corrected herself, "Even when you're reading by yourself, you look so happy."

"Well, uh, I guess it's just a thing I like to do," Thomas laughed a bit.

"More so when you read to us," Rom added, "You might get a bit nervous reading out loud, but you look so enthralled by the book."

Neptune snickered a bit, and Thomas sweatdropped. Thomas said quietly, "Wh-what can I say? I enjoy a good story."

Rom put the book beside a different stack of books, separating it from the others, "I can see you get a little excited even reading some of the old fairy tales we get you to read."

Neptune covered her mouth, stifling another laugh, before Thomas turned to her, face reddening, "There's nothing wrong with that!" He blinked, muttering to himself, "Uh, is there?"

 **"This stupid, heavy bookshelf is pissing me off!"** Blanc exclaimed from afar, as the three turned their heads to see the angry CPU use as much strength as she could to lift the thing over her head and throwing it in a fit of rage, tossing it over to the other side of the library hall.

"Lady Blanc! What are you doing?" Financier called out, "Please try not to make an even bigger mess."

Neptune sighed, "Guess my break's over. I'll leave you two to read more fairy tales. Later!"

"Bah," Thomas said simply, as Neptune waved a quick bye before heading off.

Rom perked up a little, "See you later, miss Neptune!"

After Neptune headed off to try and assist Blanc so she wouldn't throw another bookshelf, Thomas glanced over at Rom, "Sometimes I get the feeling you say these things just to have me teased."

"I'm just saying you enjoy stories," Rom said, before batting her eyes over at Thomas.

"You don't fool me," Thomas said, "Trying to act all cute won't work."

Rom simply stuck her tongue out in a raspberry, all in jest.

* * *

A few hours passed, and everyone decided to call it a day for repairs. Financier and Blanc thanked the staff and volunteers for their assistance, and everyone departed from the library. There was still some work left over, but the library was certainly less messy than before. Thankfully, Blanc did not throw any more bookshelves.

Neptune bounced ahead to walk beside Blanc while they moved further down the Basilicom, after the staff had left for home. During the entire time, Blanc could feel Neptune look at her with a cheery expression. Despite the work, Neptune didn't look like she broke a sweat, but the expression was making Blanc feel a little off.

"What is it you want, Neptune?" Blanc eventually said.

"Oh, nothing!" Neptune pepped up, "Just happy to help out a friend. I'm not expecting anything. Nope! Not at all!"

Blanc closed her eyes and tried not to say anything rude. She had a feeling Neptune probably wanted something for all this work. Plus, the more she stayed quiet, the more Neptune kept smiling right at her.

Financier leaned her head over to Neptune, as she was walking beside Blanc, "Your help was very much appreciated, Lady Neptune. I am sure Lady Blanc was very thankful for helping with the heavy lifting."

"Nothing a little CPU like me couldn't handle!" Neptune boasted, "Of course, it was a lot easier with a CPU as strong as Blanny here."

"Alright!" Blanc finally said, "Fine, Neptune, you win. I'll make some Blanc Manju for you. Just, just stop with the syrupy praise!"

Neptune blinked, looking genuinely surprised, "Really? I just wanted you to say thanks." She grinned, "Since you offered, though, I'll accept the free dessert!"

Blanc cringed. Financier leaned back and laughed, "Oh, Lady Blanc. You are quite the generous CPU."

"Sh-shut up," Blanc flushed, while Neptune snickered.

"Oh, Blanc!" Rom exclaimed from behind the three, "Can I have some Blanc Manju too?"

Blanc's face reddened some more, but she smiled over to Rom, "Since I talked myself into it, I might as well make some for everyone. Of course you can have some, Rom."

"Yay!" Rom clapped, "Thanks, Blanc! You're the bestest!"

"P-please stop," Blanc protested meekly, as Neptune and Financier shared another laugh.

Blanc rushed ahead of the group, trying to hide her embarrassment. Neptune and Financier followed suit, making their way to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Thomas, who had been behind everyone, stopped to be in thought. He crossed his arms and tilted his head down, closing his eyes.

Thomas smirked, muttering, "Even during a crisis, they still have moments like this."

Rom stopped her movement, overhearing Thomas, "Hmm? Tom?"

Thomas snapped out of his thought, saying, "Oh, Rom. Pay no mind. I'm just happy to see the goddesses like this." He uncrossed his arms, and started walking to catch up, Rom following, "Cherish things like this, Rom. Not that I need to tell you that, of course." He laughed weakly.

Rom nodded, "I will!"

"Let's go quickly," Thomas said, "We don't want Neptune having all that dessert to herself."

The two quickly walked down to try and catch up. In the end, everyone had at least some dessert. Unfortunately for Blanc, that meant more syrup-y praise.

* * *

 **"What kind of fighting is that? You need my help!" (Ram)**

* * *

During the rest period in Lowee, Thomas went back to his room in the Basilicom, only to notice a simple piece of paper, folded, tucked under the door. He knelt down on one knee, picking up the paper and unfolding it. It was a crudely-written note. However, unlike the scribbles that continued to frustrate him in the tome he has with him, he could read the message here.

"Tom, meet me outside behind the Basilicom, and be prepared to fight.

\- Ram"

Thomas' eyes widened at the message. Did Ram just challenge him to a fight? A duel? That couldn't be right, he thought. Then again, he never could tell with what Ram was thinking. He found her to be rather unpredictable compared to the other CPUs and candidates. Maybe he's just wary of Ram's mischievous side coming into play. Still, what could this message mean? Also, how long ago was this message left here?

Thomas slouched his shoulders. Either way, he had a feeling this would not go well.

* * *

Putting on his scarf and gloves, Thomas headed outside from the back entrance. Since this was in the middle of the day, the Lowee cold was not as annoying to Thomas. Still, he wasn't too thrilled as he walked into the backyard.

To his surprise, he could spot a trio of people sitting at a comfortable bench. He walked over to the trio, and waved, "Hello."

"Ah, was wondering when you'd show up!" Neptune returned her wave, beside her friends, IF and Compa.

Thomas winced, "Did Ram tell you or something?"

"I saw Ram writing the note an hour or so ago," Neptune exposited, "I bugged her until she told me, so I'm here to watch!"

"I heard from Neptune," IF said as she crossed her arms, "I'm here to make sure nothing goes too far."

"I'm here for the inevitable injuries!" Compa said cheerily.

Thomas sweatdropped, saying dully, "Gee, thanks."

"Welcome! To your doom!" Thomas could hear a familiar voice hiding behind a little snow hill.

As Thomas turned to look as Ram hopped atop the snow hill, stabbing her pencil-like staff into the hill as though she claiming it, before pointing at him, "Prepare yourself, Tom! For I, the great Ram of Lowee, shall smite you with my magical prowess!"

Thomas frowned, and got into a guarded position, "I don't wish to fight you, Ram."

A brief pause, before Ram let out a boisterous laugh, "Hahaha, I'm just kidding, Crazy Tom!" She tried not to fall over laughing, as Thomas dropped his guard, feeling rather deflated.

"You should see the look on your silly face," Ram giggled, "Did you really think you would be fighting me in a duel or something? Why would I do that? I totally would whoop your butt, though."

Thomas' expression soured, as Ram continued, "Really, though, I called you here so I can help you out! You did help me out back at the Expo, trying to protect me and Rom. That was really cool that you managed to help us out! That new skill of yours was also pretty great! I mean, you were like **'Ommm'** and I was like **'Ice coffin!'** and everything went **'Ka-bewwwwwm!'** Hahaha!"

Compa chimed in, "Ram really spoke highly of you helping out."

Ram grinned, "Yep! Still, um, Tom? Your fighting kinda sucks."

Thomas sighed, "At least she complimented me for a moment..."

"Do not be so down on yourself!" Ram said, "I've been thinking about it, and I thought I might as well help out!"

"I certainly don't mind any advice," Thomas murmured under his scarf.

Ram took her staff, pulling it back out of the snow, and pointed to a more open spot, "Let's get started! Tom, go over there and get into your battle stance."

Thomas complied with this, though he was still a little sour from the earlier tease. As he got to the spot, he turned and went to his scabbard. He unsheathed his newly acquired blade that he bought from the weapons shop in Lowee. It was a slightly longer weapon from his previous cutlass, with a bright light color scheme reflecting the nation it was purchased from. He stood and waited, holding out the new Lowene Lite Sabre, and ready to guard.

"Oh, you got a fancy new weapon!" Neptune piped in, "I'm sure Nepgear would love to take a look at it later. Also, good thing you remembered to upgrade your equipment when you can."

"I remembered," Thomas said quietly, as Ram got closer and looked at his stance.

"Weapon's kinda neat," Ram stated, "Buuuuut we're not gonna deal with weapons today."

"Is that so?" Thomas blinked over at Ram, who was still checking his stance.

"I figured that maybe you wouldn't be much of a physical fighter. Tell me," Ram asked her question, "Have you ever thought about using magic?"

"Magic?" Thomas looked rather puzzled.

"Yes, magic," Ram smirked at him, "I mean, duh, you're talking to someone who's a big magic user. Sheesh."

"Well, uh," Thomas was still confused, "I never really thought about it. Isn't magic kind of a hard thing to use?"

"It takes a bit of practice, like all things," IF said, "But it is possible. I have some SP skills that use magic, for instance."

"Of course," Thomas recalled back to a long time ago when IF used Demonic Inferno to save him from some robots, "Though I don't know how I can be sure if I can even use magic. My stats haven't really jumped much save for agility."

"Maybe this is an event where we unlock some magical potential?" Compa pondered, "This is the perfect place to start off!"

"And I'm the perfect teacher!" Ram boasted, "After all, I have a lot of magic!"

"Being a good magic user doesn't make you the best teacher," IF noted wryly.

"Shows what you know!" Ram stood in defiance, "I'm planning to grow into the best magic user **and** best magic teacher! I'm gonna be like a super mage! With a flowing cape and staff! People will be in such awe of my super awesomeness!"

"I won't try and stop you," IF said, "Good luck, all the same."

"I'm gonna be a better caster than Nepgear in 4GO!" Ram said, probably giving away part of her motivation, "And you, Tom, shall be my first student! Apprentice! Whatever!"

"Always there are two, a master and an apprentice," Neptune made with the reference, "I can't wait to see Tommy lifting boulders with his mind."

"Uhhh, is that how magic works here?" Thomas asked, completely new to this idea of using magic, or whatever Neptune was referencing there.

"Um, a little," Ram wondered what Neptune was getting at, "But if you really want to use magic, you gotta figure out what element is more your thing."

"Element?" Thomas asked while he stopped his stance, not seeing the point in holding his new weapon out for so long. He sheathed his weapon while Ram tried to think of what to say next.

"There's like, elements that people are more into than others," Ram said while counting something on her fingers, "There's six! You know how me and Rom use a lot of ice, and IF uses fire and wind?"

"Oh, so what determines what kind of element people are attuned with?" Thomas has some sort of idea what she meant.

"I don't know!" Ram complained, "People just have at least one element!"

"Alright, alright, sorry," Thomas apologized, as he was simply curious.

"You don't have to yell at your student," IF chided Ram.

"Okay, okay," Ram cleared her throat, "Ahem, in order to find out your element, you've gotta dig dip into your mind and think about what you wanna cast. Then, you cast it! Simple!"

Thomas merely blinked at Ram, then said, "Your lesson needs work."

"Just try it out!" Ram crossed her arms, "Sheesh, who knew telling people how to use magic was hard."

"Yes," Thomas said dully, "Who knew?" He then closed his eyes and tried to think of some sort of element that would fit. As he did, he asked, "What elements are there, again?"

"Oh! I know!" Ram said, "From what we know right now, it's... uh... ice, fire, wind, lighting, as well as light and dark!"

Thomas frowned a little, "I see." He recalled those elements being mentioned before, and written about in some things he's read, but it never really came to mind he would have to focus. He thought about each element, trying to somehow will it out somehow. The lesson so far hasn't really given him any concrete instructions.

After a while of standing there, closing his eyes and looking rather silly, he heard Neptune ask, "Anything yet, Tommy?"

Thomas grumbled, "No, not really. I've been trying to call on each of the elements Ram mentioned, but none of them really resonate."

"You sure you tried all of them?" IF asked, to be sure.

"Y-yeah," Thomas winced, "I even tried ice. I just felt numb thinking about it." He shivered.

"Numb?" Ram blinked at him, "You hate cold weather that much? Wait a moment! I got it!"

"Got what?" Thomas had his eyes closed the entire time.

"You may not like ice," Ram snapped her fingers, "But I remember you having a backstory about being at sea? Maybe you're a water person?"

"Water?" Thomas pondered this, "But it's not an element, is it?"

"Not really, but ice is just frozen water, so how about thinking about water like that?" Ram suggested.

"Ice into water. Uh, I'll give it a shot," Thomas said as he did some more searching, looking for this magic well to draw from. As he thought about melting ice into cool water, he started getting an odd sensation along his spine. He wondered what if that meant anything, and tried to mentally draw from it. His brows raised when he could feel something flow through his shoulders and along his arms.

"I think I got something," Thomas said, "It feels weird, but I'm gonna try it out. Please stand back."

Ram nodded, and hopped back along with the others, who waited in anticipation. Thomas opened his eyes, and lifted his arms, ready to shoot out any magic he might have. He felt rather silly, but this was all new to him.

Pointing a hand accusingly at the snow hill Ram initially hopped on, Thomas blurted out, "I call on the power of water! Show me what you can do!"

A few seconds later of looking like an idiot, Thomas soon felt a sudden chill along his arms, and he finally felt it. Magic! It was building up and ready to do his bidding! This was fantastic, he thought! He might now have a means to use an attack from a safer distance, or maybe even turn this magic into some sort of support! This was great!

And then he felt the magic come out and pour some water on his head, drenching him.

Neptune held a hand to her mouth, trying to hold her amusement back. IF shook her head, while Ram sighed, "Well, on the plus side, I think we found Tom's element to use. Now he just needs to learn how to aim properly!"

"I guess this doesn't count as an injury," Compa said, "But Tom-Tom, you might want to go inside. It's not good to be all wet while it's cold outside."

Thomas just stared out, frozen in place, not literally, but clearly feeling stupid. He spat out a bit of the water that had been dripping along his face. Thankfully, his first ever spell didn't hurt him. And yet, he didn't feel that great.

At least now, if anyone was thirsty, Thomas can offer them a glass of water.


	31. ACT III: Onto Lastation

**ACT III: SIEGE OF THE CITY OF BLACK REGALITY**

* * *

Neptune popped up in one of the Basilicom rooms to greet us as we begin this Act, "Previously on Neptunia: Hyperfirewall, a bunch of things happened! We saved Lowee from some robots and a big firewall. A giant toaster was destroyed. Then Blanc gave Thomas a tangerine. Now, back to our story!"

Plutia walked into the frame, looking at whatever Neptune was looking at, "Uh, Neppy? What are you doing?"

"Just a small little recap to start off," Neptune said, "We gotta get everyone caught up before moving to the next part!"

"Oh! Right!" Plutia nodded, before looking some more, "But there's no one there. Except this potted plant. Neppy, are you talking to plants now?"

"Well, no," Neptune admitted, "Although I have heard some people say that talking to plants might help them grow."

"Really?" Plutia perked up, and looked to the potted plant, "Have you been a good plant, Mister Radish? I hope you grow up nice and big so you can part of a great salad!"

"Hopefully you won't give anyone any indigestion!" Neptune happily said to the plant, before catching herself, "Since when have I become such a green thumb?"

"Will you two get over here?" IF called out to the duo from the other side of the room, where the rest of the party had congregated. Financier had brought use the Basilicom's communications to contact Histoire, so the group could talk with her.

Histoire waited a moment on the other side of the call, hearing some chatter in the background. When the chatter died down, meaning Neptune and Plutia joined the others, she spoke, "I hope you all had a good rest in Lowee, since we still have a lot more ahead of us."

"I'm guessing the next destination is Lastation," Neptune remarked, "I mean, that seems the natural progression."

"Correct, Neptune," Histoire said, "Your next stop will be to liberate the Basilicom in Lastation. Obviously, you will try to find the CPU and CPU candidate of that nation, as they will make taking down the barriers much easier."

"Have you found anything new about this firewall or what we're up against?" IF asked.

"Not a whole lot, unfortunately," Histoire said in disappointment, "However, I do have some information."

"Don't leave us hanging!" Plutia pouted, "Tell us, Histy!"

"Uh, I was getting to that!" Histoire said, "From what information I could gather about the robots you have faced, I have surmised that many of those robots were created from extremely early designs. The more basic enemies you have faced so far were designed when robots were first created in Gamindustri."

"It would explain the simple vocal processors," Thomas recalled, "They did not speak any words, but instead in basic beeps and boops."

"Indeed," Histoire nodded, "In the early days of Gamindustri, technology progressed by leaps and bounds thanks to the use of Share Energy and computing technology. Robotics became an interesting field to many, and eventually, new robots and AI were created. Robots soon became sophisticated enough to become a self-aware, sentient race on their own."

"I remembered the concern about them all turning on their former creators," Thomas muttered, "It's still kind of a running joke, but we've seen many becoming productive members of society."

"These early designs are pre-sentient robots, before their AIs became more sophisticated," Histoire noted, "I would say it's fair to assume that the program being used in creating this firewall has more control over their functions."

Histoire paused, then said, "The designs have been upgraded in the weapons department, however. In addition, a lot of the other designs are not familiar with any other I have seen in Gamindustri. I can only speculate, but I believe these are new designs. The bosses you have encountered, for example, may have been recently created."

"So this program is not just using old robots," IF pondered, "But also has access to some manufacturing."

"Meaning we have to check for any factories churning those things out," Thomas said, "And considering Lastation has a lot of industry compared to other nations, we'll need to keep an eye out."

"Speaking of which," Histoire remembered something else, "I have some intelligence from some of the scouts checking the obstacles ahead. Although we cannot see much ahead of the firewall, we can state that there doesn't seem to be a lot of barriers in Lastation. However, scouts have reported seeing explosions from far off in the distance."

"Explosions? What could that possibly mean, Histy?" Uzume asked.

"The explosions have been rather frequent and intense," Histoire noted, "Meaning that there may be an ongoing battle in the nation, likely between the robots and Lastation's armed forces. Noire and Uni might also be involved."

"Leave it to the Little Conqueror of Gamindustri to not take this lyinig down," Neptune joked, "Who knows? Maybe she'll take down the robots by herself?"

"All the same," Histoire shook her head at Neptune's comment, "I want you all to be careful, as you might be stepping into a war zone."

Thomas flinched a little, as Blanc nodded, "We will. Thank you for your information, Histoire. Please keep us posted on any further developments."

"I will," Histoire said, "Good luck to all of you. Talk to you soon."

"Take care," Financier added, as Histoire ended the call. Financier closed the communications panel at her end, and turned to Blanc, "I guess that means you'll be departing, Lady Blanc?"

"Yes," Blanc nodded to the maid, "Please, keep an eye on things while I am gone."

"The people of Lowee will be fine," Financier smiled to her, "We'll keep the lights on while you're out. Please keep watch on the others."

"Of course I intend to," Blanc stated, "We'll deal with those asshats, and I will make sure whatever this firewall's goal is will be stopped."

"Thank you, Lady Blanc," Financier bowed her head a little to the CPU, before looking to the others in attendance, "I trust you will all make sure Blanc, Rom, and Ram will return safely."

"We promise!" Compa said, "Thanks for helping us around during our time here, Miss Financier!"

"My pleasure," Financier responded, "Please stop by at any point after this crisis is over. I am sure Lady Blanc will appreciate the company."

"No I won't," Blanc grumbled, but Financier still had her cheery face.

"I'm sure we'll take you up on that," Thomas nodded, to which even Blanc seemed surprised by this. After a pause, Thomas blinked, "What? Something I said?" Mr. Doesn't-Like-The-Cold saying he'll consider returning to Lowee at one point. Uh-huh.

Meanwhile, a little away from the group, close to the room's exit, Nepgear talked to the twins. Looking more enthused than usual, Nepgear spoke, "Rom, Ram, I'll be counting on you. Us CPU candidates must show that we can still do as well as our sisters!"

"Yeah!" Ram was pumped up, "We'll go save Uni, and kick those robot butts!"

"We won't let you down, Miss Nepgear!" Rom followed, even saying, "Enthusiastic!"

"We're coming, Uni," Nepgear clenched her fists, "Just hold on a little longer."

Uzume, turning to see the candidates banding together, laughed a bit, "Looks like the juniors are excited about this leg of the journey. I hope they don't overexert themselves."

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Thomas' icon appeared, with the message "Am I the only one who can't read this writing?"**

* * *

Outside the Basilicom, goodbyes were exchanged between Blanc and many of her citizens. It was rather difficult for the party to move quickly, but nonetheless Blanc took the time to say her farewells as everyone offered their best wishes and good luck. As this was going on, Thomas slowly took the tome that he had carried since the beginning of this adventure and offered it to Rom and Ram.

"You two will need to take a look at this," Thomas said, pointing out a certain page, "Especially this part here. It will tell you how to take down these firewall barriers. It's how we've gotten here so far."

The two held the book together, getting a good look at the instructions and reading. Rom was the first to speak, "Do you understand what it's saying, Ram?"

Ram blinked a few times, "Uh, yeah, Rom. It was weird that I didn't know we could that. But now that I know, it totally make sense."

"We're still learning as CPU candidates," Rom beamed, "It's neat to find out more about what we can do!"

"So you can read everything, huh," Thomas stated, "Even the scribbles?"

"I was going to ask," Ram nodded, "Did Neptune write this?"

"Not that we know," Thomas muttered, irritated, "Neptune doesn't recall writing any part of this, and the others have been doing a gambling pool of how this was made."

"Where did you find it?" Rom asked, curious.

"At LAN castle. The spirit of the former CPU Uranus gave it to me after I was rescued from a fall," Thomas winced as he recalled the story, "It's a long story, and I admit it sounds weird."

"You should tell us about it when you can," Rom said with a tilt of her head, "Me and Ram encountered her before."

"Oh, you did?" Thomas asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, we all went to her asking on how to defeat ASIC," Ram said, "Even today, she's still helping in some way? She's a pretty cool spirit!"

"Yeah Ram," Rom smiled, "I wish when it's my time to be a spirit, I still help out too!"

"We'd be the best ghosts!" Ram grinned, "We can play good ghost, bad ghost! I can haunt the bad guys while you offer sage, cryptic advice!"

"I don't want to be scary," Rom shivered a bit, "But I'll do my best!"

"Uh, right," Thomas blinked at the two, before continuing, "In any case, it's strange that a book would contain such writing."

"Huh? You can't read this at all?" Ram blinked, "It's not that hard to figure out."

"Yeah Tommy," Neptune piped in from behind him, grinning, "I mean, come on! You can read Ram's writing but not **my** wonderful penmanship?"

Thomas glared behind him at Neptune, "Ram actually has legible writing, unlike someone I know."

"Seems the only who can't read it is you," Neptune shrugged it off. Ram, meanwhile, looked rather proud to be told she has legible writing. Even if she doesn't know what legible meant, it sounded rather neat.

Thomas frowned, and went to take the tome from the twins, "Pardon me, ladies. I'm off to do an experiment."

With tome in hand, Thomas headed over to where Blanc had been exchanging goodbyes with some of the citizens, and went up to one of them.

"Excuse me, miss?" He asked a young lady who had just finished sending her well-wishes to Blanc and was standing back.

"O-oh? Hello, sir," the woman looked surprised, "Is there something you wish to speak to me about?'

"I'm trying to check something, and I would like your help on a matter, if you have the time," Thomas said politely, as he opened the tome and made sure it was on the right page.

"Sure, I'll be glad to help," the woman smiled. Thomas nodded slowly, and held the tome over to show the lady.

Thomas pointed out the aforementioned scribbles out to the woman, and asked, "Can you make out what is being written here?"

"You need me to read something? Alright," the woman looked down at the instructions and squinted at the writing, "Let's see. I think I got some of it? That last bit looks like it reads... f-w-delete-dot-e-x-e?"

Thomas froze a moment, before asking, "That, that's correct. How did you read that?"

"It looks familiar," the woman wasn't so sure herself, "I've seen weird scribbles like this before, though."

Thomas grimaced, but nodded to the woman, "Alright, thank you very much for your time." He then walked further down until he met with someone else in the area to ask him. He continued on this little experiment, moving onto a variety of different people to ask the same thing.

Several moments later, Thomas slowly walked back to the party, looking depressed. Even though Neptune could read what this meant, she wasn't too happy to see Thomas looking so down.

"Uh, Tommy?" Neptune asked, "You okay there?"

"Am I, am I the only who can't read that? How..." Thomas said weakly.

"Uh, Tommy? I should tell you that my writing goes around a lot," Neptune said in concern, "I do sign a lot of signatures and letters and stuff, even when I'm not working. It's only natural that many people would slowly be familiar with my writing."

Thomas simply murmured incomprehensibly to himself, as IF and Compa walked in along with Rom and Ram.

"I still don't get it, either," IF grumbled, "But I guess Gamindustri knows something more than our friend here."

"Tommy never really read the stuff I wrote back then, did he?" Neptune mused.

"He was trying to do the work you didn't do back in Planeptune," IF said, "I guess he never really read the work you did do."

"Maybe I should've sent him some old fashioned letters?" Neptune pondered, "Like students passing notes on paper."

"'Do you think Neptune is the best goddess? Yes? No?'" IF joked.

"How'd you know that would be what I would write?" Neptune smirked.

"Lucky guess," IF said.

Meanwhile, Compa went over to check on Thomas' state, who was still in a sorry state, and patted him on the shoulder, "It's okay, Tom-Tom. The important thing is that the people who need to read it **can** read it."

"Stupid Nepspeak..." Thomas grumbled under his breath.

* * *

Thomas was staring intently at the scribbles inside the tome, as the party finally managed to part from Lowee. The party make-up was now pretty big, making up ten people. Certainly enough to field a baseball team, with a pinch hitter to boot.

In terms of formation, Thomas hung back with the twins and Compa as support. IF, Plutia, and Uzume made up the middle row, while Blanc and the two Planeptune sisters made up the front. Blanc was naturally inclined to stay up front to be the main tank, while Neptune wanted to continue her role as de-facto leader. Nepgear, usually inclined to hang back, seemed motivated to be in the front.

Frustrated, Thomas closed the tome and put it away in his inventory. He tried to put that non-sense behind him as he looked at the growing party. To think, he started this barely able to fend off a Dogoo with a stick. As he thought about this, his thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Ram, saying quite bluntly, "You done glaring at that book?"

"Uh, y-yeah," Thomas sighed, before turning his head at her, "I'll have plenty of time to be mad at it later."

"Haha," Ram smirked, "Being mad over a few scribbles, trying to decipher the message that everyone else can read. Looks like you can't read **any** thing after all!"

"Bah," Thomas grumbled.

Ram chuckled, "Maybe I can teach you how to read scribbles too. After all, you are my apprentice now!"

"Because I had so much success with your lesson so far," Thomas said sarcastically.

"Pfft, it was just a first step!" Ram said, "And you did well for a first try!"

Rom overheard this, and quietly sneaked into the conversation, speaking up, "Ram, what's this about first try?"

"I'm a teacher now!" Ram boasted, "I'm teaching Tom so he could help us more with magic!"

"That's great, Ram!" Rom smiled at her sister, "You're teaching people now! Ram, you're growing up so quickly!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome. I know," Ram said with her usual air of confidence, "So good, I'm even teaching the adults."

"I wish I can think of what to do to show I've grown too," Rom lamented, before asking, "How's it going so far?"

"Tom is still learning," Ram shrugged, "His element is ice. Er, I mean, water, whatever. He can summon some water, so far."

Rom looked at Thomas, "Oh? Any idea what to do with that magic?"

"Not yet," Thomas muttered, "She only made me look for an element."

"Magic is more than just using an element," Rom noted.

"I'll... work on it," Thomas said, before something came to his mind, "Were you always so good with magic? I mean, starting out as goddesses, I'm sure you had an advantage."

"When we were just new, it was all kinda scary," Rom said with a light shiver, "We had some idea of what we could do, but couldn't quite put a finger on it."

Ram thought about it, "We felt like we could do something, but had to have it unlocked by either stumbling on it or finding out. Meet the requirement, learn a new spell. Like any other skill."

"It was still rather scary the first few times we use it," Rom said, "The first time I used some ice, I was worried I was gonna turn into a popcicle."

"Really? I thought it was fun!" Ram said in obvious contrast to her sister.

"So even the goddesses had to learn," Thomas said quietly.

"Well duh," Ram told Thomas, "We didn't have all these awesome skills to start with! We level up like everyone else!"

Thomas blinked at Ram, as though he was genuinely surprised by this. Compa, the last support in the group who was just listening in, scooted over to speak to Thomas, "It's true. I can vouch for that. Neptune didn't start out with all her game-breaking skills when we first met."

Rom nodded at Compa, as Thomas looked even more shocked, "Uh-huh. We had to practice too, so we can keep ourselves strong."

"It's one of the reasons why Histy tries to push Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge to take quests," Compa noted to Thomas, "If you don't practice enough, you lose your levels, and your skills."

"Even the CPUs have that?" Thomas asked incredulously. He knew of going down in levels if you don't practice enough. A person who avoided fighting for much of his life would know of this mechanic, even a little bit.

Compa smiled, "Yep! It's like what my grandma used to say 'If you won't work, you won't eat.'"

"Your grandma said that?" Thomas wasn't really sure of that. He then shook his head, "I can't believe, even after working for so much time, I still know so little about the CPUs."

"Maybe you've set your expectations too high?" Compa smiled, "You always seem so surprised when you meet a goddess for the first time."

Thomas grimaced, "It always is the case, huh..."

Compa cheerily continued, "It's okay! The point is, you just gotta keep practicing, like the rest of us! I know I wasn't the best nurse when I first started, either."

"Is that so?" Thomas said in a tone that indicated that he was well aware of this. At least, if IF and Neptune were to be believed.

"Anyway, just do your best," Ram piped in, "And if not, let me handle the baddies! I wanna have that super-powered magic again!"

"I guess I really am an amplifier..." Thomas murmured, as Ram grinned happily at the thought of overkilling some bad guys.

* * *

The party traveled past the Expo as they started to move along the path south. Unlike the area between Planeptune and Lowee that had to go through some mountains and marshes, the route was more direct heading towards Lastation. With the robots seeming to have retreated away from Lowee, there was not much to stand in the party's way, save for the occasional monster mobs.

Nepgear was momentarily distracted by the new weapon Thomas bought from Lowee, but for the most part, she was focused on the front line dealing with the mobs. By the time the group got closer to the next firewall barrier, the CPU candidate was walking at a rather brisk pace.

Ram tapped her sister on the shoulder, "Come on, Rom! Let's go open this first barrier!"

"O-okay!" Rom hesitated, but was swayed by her sister's eagerness. The two rushed to the front of the group, barely able to catch up with Nepgear, who stared at the approaching barrier.

As Rom and Ram caught up, Nepgear spoke, "You two looking to try to bring down the barrier this time?"

Ram quickly nodded, to which Nepgear reminded them, "We'll have to make sure everyone is nearby. Eheh, I guess we should slow down a bit, then."

"Why do we have to wait?" Ram asked.

"We use the CPUs and share energy in invoking these keys, I believe," Nepgear recalled, "The barriers have become a little stronger over time, so the more, the better."

"So once we find the others, these barriers won't stand a chance?" Rom pondered.

"That's the hope," Nepgear said, unsure, "It's worked so far. I can't say for certain, though."

"We'll break it all down, no sweat!" Ram beamed.

Rom and Nepgear were a little concerned about the far-off future, but Ram didn't seem that worried at all. They all eventually made it to as far as they could, stopping just short of the long barrier that separated Lowee and Lastation.

Nepgear squinted through the barrier, but could quite make out anything in the far-off distance. She was still a little concerned about being too close to the barrier, which crackled with electricity. The other members of the party soon caught up, with Neptune looking at Nepgear, "Sis, you mind not pushing too far ahead? I know you wanna get to Lastation A-S-A-P like the rest of us, but we're not all speedrunners here."

"Oh! S-sorry, Neptune!" Nepgear said, twiddling her fingers in front of her, "I'll be more considerate next time."

"Never mind that," Blanc stated as she came in, looking at the wall, "Let's bring this eyesore down already."

"Right!" Nepgear nodded, before turning to the twins, "I'll help out with you two, okay? Just follow my lead."

"Okay, Miss Nepgear!" Rom nodded, as Ram just tapped her foot, already waiting for Nepgear to get on with it.

With everyone now gathered around, the ritual-like process began, with Nepgear transforming, followed by the twins. The three then joined in created the glowing key, piercing through the barrier and shattering the lengthy wall. It was the largest shattering yet, with Thomas looking one way west to see the wall from near the central mountains shattering, while IF watched the wall shattering far to the east where it met with the ocean.

"That was pretty cool," Ram said as she felt a little rush, enjoying the massive wall shattering.

Nepgear brought out her sword, pointing out towards Lastation, "The way to Lastation is finally open. I promise I won't rest until everyone here is safe from this crisis!"

Neptune pouted, "Can't you just promise to save everyone and still be able to rest?"

Nepgear put back her weapon, and resumed her quick march. Just before Neptune could call out to her to slow down, Nepgear immediately stopped, as she finally looked out into what she couldn't see earlier.

"What the goodness?" Nepgear said softly, in a bit of shock.

Rom and Ram looked up at Nepgear. "Uh, miss Nepgear?" Rom asked, before the two turned their heads over to see what she was looking at.

The others slowly walked up over to stand by the shaken candidate, and looked out to see the land ahead. Far off in the direction of Lastation, they could see some explosions erupt now and then. Meanwhile, as the path went down onto Tacan Road, they could see signs that there was some battling recently. Charred trees, smouldering craters, and cracked areas could be seen sporadically here and there.

"It's not a total war zone," IF observed, "But Histoire wasn't kidding about the fighting."

"This is terrible," Compa frowned at the scene, "I didn't think it would have gone so far."

"The robots went after anything CPU-related in Planeptune and Lowee," Uzume pondered aloud, "Did something change in Lastation?"

Thomas winced at the thought, as he struggled to deal with the sights he's seeing, "I don't like the look of all this. At all."

Nepgear worried once more for her dear friend in Lastation.


	32. ACT III: Monster Saver

**("Author here, with a new chapter to fill in, and a little news. After checking out some features and such, I managed to actually update the other early chapters to not include that wacky italics. I was expecting to do that much later, but I am grateful for the website's features allowing me to fix that. I also did some minor edits grammar edits here and there. I'm not likely going to go back and edit earlier chapters like that again, but it was interesting to see what you've written so far as a fanfic writer here. I should've done this with a cup of hot cocoa nearby.**

 **Last bit is just to say I am pleased with the little bit of feedback posted and interest shown so far. Not only that, but I was amazed to check out the results of the unofficial poll on my profile right now. Really, the variety in the results has surprised me, and in a good way. I've been trying to purposely write it so people aren't so certain which pairing will ultimately be chosen, so seeing a few different opinions is good! Even surprised Noire's getting some votes, and I haven't even introduced her yet! No spoiler, but you might want to hold off on that. Maybe! Ominous laughter.**

 **But really, am glad to see this, especially on some characters who I weren't sure were going to be in this fic when I came out with the first outline. Okay, okay, I better not say any more. The less I ramble on, the less likely I'll accidentally influence your pick! To the chapter!" - Author of whatever this is.)**

* * *

Nepgear put on a brave face as she still led the front of the party, but it was apparent to everyone that she was shaken a bit. Seeing this, Neptune caught up beside her sister, leaning a little forward to check on her, "Nepgear? Little sis? You okay there?"

"Oh?" Nepgear's eyes widened at her sister, and she murmured, "Uh, sorry Neptune. I'm really bad at hiding it, huh?"

"Your concern for your friends? Pretty much," Neptune smiled, and patted Nepgear on the nearest shoulder, "You wear your heart on your sleeve. It's why we love ya so!"

Nepgear flushed, and Neptune grinned, saying, "We'll find them. Those Lastation girls are nothing if not tenacious."

"I know," Nepgear nodded, "You, Uzume, and others have said so. Still, seeing this..."

The path where most adventurers would go on their travels between Lowee and Lastation was a mess. As the sisters were talking, Blanc went ahead and examined several trees that had fallen across, blocking the way. While the party could simply go around, Blanc did not wish to leave such an obstacle in the way.

Blanc tried to use her own strength to push some of the fallen trees to the side, and while she could move a few of the lighter ones, there was one large one. There's always at least one. Blanc gave it a quick push, before realizing it would take too much effort. She wanted to keep that energy for the enemies and bosses, not the debris.

"Big Sis!" Ram jumped in, "If you want, I can help out here! I can burn this away so we can clear the path!"

"That won't be needed," Blanc assured her, as she produced her hammer, spotting a weak area of the tree, before going up to it. She loudly warned the party, "Stand back!" Waiting a moment while the others complied, Blanc then lifted her hammer and smashed it down, shattering a good portion of the dead wood and clearing a small path through.

"I could've transformed for this," Blanc said aloud, "My weapon would be more useful dealing with this tree, but this will do." Placing her hammer away, she proceeded through the passage, before turning to the others, "Well?"

"Right behind you, Blancsy!" Uzume called out, walking quickly past the Nep sisters and going through the passage. She looked back to the two, egging them on, "We won't accomplish anything standing around, you know?"

"Yeah, Neppy," Plutia said as she walked past the two, smiling a bit, "You need to pick up the pace!"

"Wha? No way! I refuse to be lectured on speed by Miss Nap Processing," Neptune complained, before hopping off in a bid to catch up. Nepgear laughed a bit at Neptune's pride getting to her, and followed with the rest of the group through the path Blanc created.

Despite the many assurances and promises the others have made, Nepgear still felt she wouldn't be at ease until she knew for certain they were all safe. After all, she worked so hard in the past to make sure that was the case. From saving the world from ASIC to getting through Ultradimension to bringing back Uzume, it was a lot for a CPU candidate to handle. If anything had gone wrong during any of that, she wouldn't want to think of how things would've ended up.

As she tried to regain her resolve, she could see Ram tending to her own sister Rom. Rom, like Nepgear, was a little scared of what she saw, but too was trying to push herself. In that way, the two were rather alike. Nepgear smiled meekly to herself, trying to push back her own fears so she can help out, just as Rom was trying to do.

She looked back to the group once more, as she could see Thomas trailing not too far behind. In contrast to Nepgear or Rom's attempt to put on a brave face, Thomas gave no such effort. He was visibly a little shaken, and his eyes kept looking about for anything unusual. Nepgear hummed softly to herself, and slowed her pace a little, letting Thomas catch up so she could be walking beside him. After a moment, Nepgear took a deep breath, and turned her head to Thomas, "Thomas? How are you holding up so far?"

Thomas blinked, seeing Nepgear suddenly dropping to the back row with him, and right beside him, trying to keep some sort of smile going. Thomas glanced away, "Uh, well, I'm doing alright, all things considered. Really, I thought I would be asking you that question first."

"Oh," Nepgear's smiled faded, "Yeah. There is a lot going through my mind right now. This is not my first time going through all this, though." She sighed, "Besides, you looked more nervous."

Thomas spoke quietly, under his breath, "I **am** nervous."

"That's alright," Nepgear said in similar volume, but audible enough for Thomas to hear, "It's okay to be a little nervous."

Thomas cleared his throat, "Er, s-sorry. It's just..." He shivered a little, "Whenever I saw something like this, back then, I would've bolted by now."

"When you were on your own?" Nepgear asked.

Thomas nodded, "Before I settled in Gamindustri, yeah." He frowned, "Even after, places like the Gamindustri Graveyard would give me reason to flee."

"That was a case for a lot of people, back then," Nepgear said, "Myself included."

"Ah, right," Thomas winced.

Nepgear recalled her earlier adventures, "Back then, I too was scared of places like that. Even today, I still get a little wary. I'm sure Neptune and the others are, too."

Thomas sighed, "Doesn't make feeling this way feel any better."

"Maybe," Nepgear said, "Still, you have to admit, with who we have here, now, our chances are pretty good."

Thomas nodded a little, humming an affirmative. Nepgear smiled once more, "You believe in us, right?"

Thomas blinked, looking back at Nepgear, "O-of course I do! That's never been in doubt." He then turned his head, trying to joke about it, "It's me that I'm worried about, after all."

Nepgear laughed a little, "Hehe, then you shouldn't worry at all. I'm sure most of us have promised in one way or another to protect you. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not," Thomas said, before sighing in defeat, "When you put it all like that, I feel rather silly."

Nepgear shook her head, "It's not silly at all. We just need to be reminded, sometimes."

Thomas closed his eyes, "Th-thanks again, Nepgear."

"Again?" Nepgear asked, a bit confused.

Thomas nodded, reopening his eyes, "Of course. I still owe you a great debt."

"Do you have to say it like that?" Nepgear asked while clasping her hands together.

"I guess that might be a bit much," Thomas admitted, "But I don't know how else to say it."

"J-just helping out a friend in need," Nepgear said, while pointing out the party ahead of them, "How about we move up a little more before the others worry more about us?"

"Eep!" Thomas realized they were falling behind, "Agreed!"

The two quickened their pace, moving through another passage made by Blanc through several fallen rocks.

"All the same," Thomas muttered under his breath once they caught up to the rest of the party, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Nepgear smiled and ran past him to get back to the front. For Nepgear, this conversation helped her in regaining some confidence.

Thomas, meanwhile, cringed as Nepgear overheard him again, "I really should stop muttering under my breath."

* * *

After clearing a few obstacles, the party made their way deeper into Lastation territory. In contrast to the cold but varying terrains in Lowee, Lastation was more open. There were no marshes, high mountains or strange platforming to get across. It's why citizens found travelling between Lastation and Lowee simple on land, and why people going from Leanbox or even Planeptune found it easier to go to Lastation first before moving north.

The plains stretched out south all the way to where Lastation's main city would be, still far off in the distance. There was an occasional explosion that could be seen in the sky, close to the city. The party could barely see this or hear the audible sounds of the explosions. As this was going on, IF winced, and stopped, "Hold on a moment, guys. Let me see if I can get a better look."

"Iffy?" Compa stopped alongside her friend, "How are you going to get a better look?"

IF reached into her inventory, "Lucky for me I picked this up at the market in Lowee." IF took out an old pair of binoculars out, and lifted them up to her eyes to get a look.

"Oh, hey! You got some binoculars?" An amused Neptune piped up as she went turned and went up to IF, looking it over, "Our little Iffy's using her super scouting! How adorable!"

"N-Nep! Get out of the way for a minute, will ya?" IF complained as she stepped to a side, Neptune getting in her field of vision. After some squirming, Neptune moved aside so IF could look through.

IF frowned as she focused more on her sights, trying to make out what she could see. Compa looked back and forth between IF and where she was looking at, "Can you see what's out there, Iffy?"

"Yeah, Iffy, what does our little scouter say?" Neptune excitedly said, curious, but also hoping she would be done because she wanted to take the binoculars next.

IF rolled her eyes at Neptune briefly, before answering, "It's still too far away to get a good look, but I what I can see is some sort of cannon firing at the city."

"Artillery?" Nepgear's eyes widened, "Who's firing? At the city?"

"I can't really say from here," IF said quickly, "But it seems to be firing at the firewall barrier around the city. This is speculation on my part, but I'm guessing those are Lastation forces firing."

"Lastation guns firing on their own city?" Uzume turned her head to the firing, "Why would they be doing that?"

Blanc lifted a hand to her chin, the sleeve of her jacket drooping down, "It's the barrier they're firing at, not the city. If these are definitely Lastation's forces, they must be trying to get back home."

"It's not going to work," IF shook her head, "That barrier's been hit time and time again, but hasn't come down at all."

"That firewall must be very powerful," Nepgear observed, "Whatever dropped the firewall must have access to a tremendous source."

"If what Histoire says is true," Blanc recalled, "That it is some sort of old program, it must have access to do a lot, given all these robots under its control as well."

"Speaking of which," IF said as she brought the binoculars down a little, "I could see some fighting further down here. It appears we got robots around here too. They're apparently engaging with a lot of Dogoos. The Dogoos seem particularly angry, at least as angry as those things can get."

"We gotta help them!" Compa exclaimed, "I know we usually fight wild Dogoos and other monsters, but those mister robots are extra bad!"

"I agree with Compa," Thomas spoke, "I don't know how the Dogoos will react, but we've seen instances where the monsters have been on our side. We should do what we can to drive these unwelcome robots out."

"And if those monsters don't like our interfering?" IF said, before Neptune snatched the binoculars away from her grip so she could look around with them.

"We offer our help," Thomas muttered, "If they attack, hit back, but focus on the robots first."

"Aww, less things to hit?" Plutia was disappointed by this.

"I don't wanna hit the Dogoos," Rom said, "I hope they can be friends."

"Let's make it a point going forward," Blanc held her hand up, "At least for this area, we take down the robots over the monsters first."

"Alright," Uzume struck another heroic pose, "Sounds good. Operation Monster Saver is a go!"

"Monster Saver? Really?" Blanc muttered.

"Uh, well, the names can't all be winners," Uzume said with a small laugh, to which Blanc shook her head. Oh? There were good operation names? Uzume turned to stick her tongue out, I guess in response to that.

"Say Iffy," Neptune was busy looking through the binoculars to pitch in, "I see you've been taking good care to trim those nosehairs."

"Give me that!" IF said as she swiped her item back from Neptune, depriving her of more time looking at people too up-close.

* * *

Given how open the terrain was, the party spread out a bit as they tried to surround any robots they came across. It was as IF described, as a few of the Dogoos leaped right up in the robots' faces, trying to smother them with their attacks.

The robots, on the other hand, were acting rather odd. Although they were not effected by the Dogoo attacks, there were the odd times they gave a random twitch, followed by a few sparks. The Dogoos were weak, so their attacks were not really doing much. Still, it appeared the robots may have incurred earlier damage elsewhere and may have a few systems acting on the fritz. IF took a mental note of this as she brought out her katars.

Nepgear took the lead, charging in with some precision strikes on what she assumed were weak points, aiming at the robots' twitchy joints, trying to avoid hitting any Dogoo that was attached to it. Given it was already damaged, the robot went down rather easily, though the fall did startle the Dogoos, losing whatever balance they had.

"Dogoo?" One of the Dogoos was confused by the sudden reinforcements, as it reeled back up from the fall. The other nearby Dogoos, who were cutely but angrily snarling at the robots, were puzzled by the new arrivals. However, as Compa charged forward to whack one of the robots with her gigantic needle, they were soon thrilled with the aid, and went back to focusing on the robots.

The fight was relatively easy, given that the damaged robots were not in great shape. There was still some apprehension in the party as they fought, trying not to get in the way of the Dogoos.

In one such instance, Thomas went up to a robot still busy trying to pull off a Dogoo from its face, using his sabre to swipe at the free legs. Bringing it down, Thomas finished it off with a quick slash of the torso. As the robot vanished much like any fallen monster, the Dogoo happily hopped in victory, before giving Thomas a wary stare. Thomas hesitated, and remained on guard, before the Dogoo's expression lightened and it continued its hop. "Dogoo-goo!" The Dogoo hopped off to join with the rest of the group, and the Dogoos did a little more hopping to express their appreciation.

"Looks like we've made a few new friends," Uzume said happily, "Isn't it all so adorable?"

"Uh, sure?" Thomas answered with uncertainty.

Uzume coughed, "Ahaha, ahem. I mean, isn't it great that we don't need to fight these Dogoos?"

"That I can agree with," Thomas relaxed a little, while the rest of the party dealt with a few remaining stragglers. The Dogoos freed, the group celebrated their victory with a little victory hop, and more variations of them saying their species' name.

Compa came up to a few of the Dogoos, checking to see if any of them were alright. One was a little down, despite showing relief at the victory, and the Dogoo shivered a little when the nurse came a little close. Realizing her gigantic needle was still out, she put it away, "Don't worry, mister Dogoo. I'm not here to hurt you. If you like, I can heal your wounds. Would you like that?"

"Uh, Compa? Is it wise?" IF asked, slowly putting her blades away, looking to her friend in concern, "They may be Dogoos, but they're still wild."

The Dogoo slowly hopped a few times over towards Compa, who outstretched her hand towards it. The Dogoo eventually leaned a little to sniff at the hand, before hopping a little closer to allow Compa to give it a little pat. Compa smiled, bending her knees to the ground and slowly checking the Dogoo to see where it was hurt. After an examination, with the Dogoo still shivering a bit, Compa used her healing skills to mend that gooey monster's wound.

The Dogoo immediately felt better, "Dogoo~!" It hopped up into Compa's arms, surprising her, but she managed to catch it with the help of her arms and upper body. The Dogoo nestled itself into the nurse's arms, and gave an affectionate rub of its cheeks to show its appreciation.

Compa laughed a bit, "Hehe, that tickles! I'm glad you're feeling a lot better now, though!" The Dogoo blurted out another "Dogoo~!" before nuzzling into the nurse's armpit. Compa continued, though trying really hard not to laugh.

"Should we do something?" Thomas asked dully, not certain that this would be called an 'attack', but had to ask, all the same.

"No, it's alright. I'm sure she'll be fine," Nepgear responded as she moved more into the open, away from the ending battle.

IF added, as she stood beside Thomas, "Dogoos can be rather devious sometimes. They would sometimes dig into your clothing and tickle all around your body."

Thomas blinked, "Is that so?" He briefly thought about the image, while IF eyed the Dogoo being hugged gently by Compa.

IF sighed, saying quietly, "I'm kinda jealous of the Dogoo right now."

"Same," Thomas muttered as he idly scratched his chin. A beat later, the two glanced at each other, realizing what they just said and heard.

"I didn't hear anything," Thomas flustered.

"N-neither did I," IF held a hand up to her mouth, coughing.

Compa eventually knelt again, putting the Dogoo back down so that it could return to its monster mob, and the thankful Dogoo mob began hopping away. Compa waved a goodbye, "Take care of yourself, mister Dogoo!"

"Wow, Compa," Ram exclaimed as she bounced in beside her, putting away her weapon, "The monsters were all friendly with you. Maybe you should think about being a monster tamer?"

"Oooh, yeah Ram!" Rom popped in, looking excited at the prospect, "Just like some of the people in Pocket Monstrosities! It'd be really cool to see Compa taming those bigger, scarier monsters!"

"Ehehe," Compa was still trying to relax after that ticklish moment, "I don't mind helping out, but I don't really need to tame any monsters to fight for me. Besides, I already have Nep-Nep around."

"Nep?" Neptune looked surprised as Compa made her statement.

"Compa," Blanc joked, "Please do not excite my sisters with the possibility that Neptune is a Pocket Monstrosity. They might try to catch her."

"That'd be awesome!" Ram said gleefully, "Probably game-breaking, though, since Neptune's a CPU and all."

"Yeah, I am pretty strong after all, so the game developers would try and nerf my stats," Neptune got carried away into the idea, before stopping, "Hold up. I don't recall agreeing to this crossover possibility!"

"Hehe, I didn't mean it that way anyway," Compa joked, "I just really trust my Nep-Nep."

"Your Nep-Nep?" Plutia blinked. It seemed she was surprised Compa would be as possessive as she was.

Compa giggled, to which Neptune smiled wryly, "Oh sure, laugh it all up. I'll show you when I end up being at the top tier of the entire bestiary."

"You're already at the top tier of all Neptunes, at least," Thomas finally pitched in, jokiing, "Although the tier list of Neps has been a little more competitive."

"I wonder if he knows-" Neptune pondered a moment, before speaking up, "Wait a minute, I'm the top Nep around here! Being the main protagonist in the entire franchise allows me certain benefits."

"She's not even trying to deny being a Pocket Monstrosity," Blanc shook her head.

"I guess that means we've gotta catch her," Ram grinned, before she went up to jump onto Neptune's back, wrapping her arms around Neptune's shoulders, "Gotcha!"

"Whaaa!" Neptune yelped before falling over forward, tackled by Ram to the ground.

Ram laughed, as Blanc sighed, "As amusing as it is to see my sister take down Neptune to add to her collection, I think we should focus on moving ahead."

"Miss Nepgear!" Rom exclaimed, getting her staff out, "Watch out! More ahead of us!"

"Oh!" Nepgear blinked, seeing a trio of robots coming late to the party. Much like the previous group, they also looked damaged. This group was equipped with blades and were blindly charging ahead.

Rom was actually the first to act, and aimed a quick bolt of ice right through one of the bots. The bolt briefly stopped the robot look enough for Rom to leap forward and smash it with her staff.

Uzume was next to act, as Nepgear was still caught off-guard, and darted right at the robot, skillfully evading the blades slashed, and unleashing a fury of punches, each more devastating than the last. With one last **"Ora!"** she hit with a powerful haymaker, launching the defeated robot away a good distance before it vanished.

Nepgear finally reacted, getting her blade ready to defend against the last charging robot. She lifted her blade, getting into her battle stance before the robot leaped and -

It blew up. Nepgear's eyes widened considerably. Not because the robot just blew up in front of her, without her inflicting any damage. She was pretty sure it was already damaged prior. No, something else happened in that brief moment before the robot exploded.

A gunshot. It was rather feint, but she definitely heard it, coming from the east. Judging from the sound, it was a long distance from where it had fired. Could it be?

"Nice timing~!" Uzume gave a thumbs up to Rom, "That was quick moving you did there, Romsy!"

"I j-just wanted to keep miss Nepgear safe," Rom said shyly, glancing away, "Thanks, Uzume."

"Uni!" Nepgear yelled as she ran a couple of feet east, looking for any sign of someone over there.

"Woah! Nepgear, slow down," Uzume chased after and grabbed Nepgear's arm, "What's going on? Did you see Uni?"

"N-no," Nepgear frowned, as she kept looking out in the distance, unable to see anything there, "But I heard a gunshot! It came from over there, and it destroyed the robot in front of me!"

IF, taking her binoculars from earlier, went over beside Nepgear and looked out in that direction, "Are you really certain it came from there? Or that it was Uni?"

"I, I don't know!" Nepgear winced, "To be able to fire that far and hit so accurately, I could only think of her being able to take that shot!"

"I could think of others," IF said, "But if she did, she isn't showing herself. I do, however, see more robots along that way."

"We have to find out!" Nepgear clenched her fists in front of her, "Please, let's go that way and find out the source!"

"I don't know if we should," IF said, still looking through the binoculars, "We still have to check out Lastation proper. Again, we're not even sure who fired that shot, if that is what happened."

"I'm telling you, I definitely heard something over there!" Nepgear said.

"Did you hear something, Rom? Uzume?" IF asked of the two.

"Sorry, Gearsy, I was too busy yelling out punches," Uzume said as she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling sheepish.

"I might've heard something," Rom said, "But I don't know if it was a gunshot. I'm sorry, miss Nepgear."

"It's okay, you guys," Nepgear nodded, "I'm grateful that you two came to help me."

"I'm not too sure of this," Thomas said, as he finally walked in, along with Neptune, Blanc, Plutia, and Ram, "In any situation, I wouldn't want to be going in the direction where I may have heard sniper fire."

Nepgear dropped her shoulders, looking downcast. "However," Thomas said, "I understand if Nepgear wanted to check. If it's anyone who wanted to help us, perhaps it is their way to try and get our attention."

"I don't know about that, Thomas," IF argued, putting her binoculars away, "That's a pretty big reach."

"I'm going anyway," Blanc said, as she walked ahead of the group.

"Same goes for me!" Neptune added, following with Blanc.

"Blanc? Neptune?" Both IF and Thomas asked in surprise.

Blanc turned her head, "I'm here to smash robots. If there are more out there harassing citizens, I'm going to stop them."

"What she said!" Neptune piped up, but before Blanc could shoot a glare at her for just following her lead, Neptune continued, "Besides, I trust my little sister. If she said she heard something here, and we should check it out, we should!"

"She's been a little agitated since we've crossed here," Blanc remarked, "At the very least, we should take a quick look."

"Th-thanks, I think?" Nepgear wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"That standstill over at Lastation doesn't look to be changing any time soon," Blanc continued, turning back east, "We should check this out in the meantime."

"Right!" Neptune clapped, "Come on, Nep Junior! Let's see if your dear friend's around here like you think!"

"Uh, y-yes!" Nepgear smiled, "Coming!"

Nepgear ran and joined the two as, eventually, the rest of the party shrugged and joined behind them.

"That was a weird thing to see," IF said in an aside to Thomas.

"I know," Thomas said in as much confusion, "Neptune and Blanc both agreeing to something at the same time."

"Maybe they just wanted to help assure Nepgear," IF pondered aloud.

"They both care deeply for her, that I am certain," Thomas said, before looking to IF, "You too, right?"

"O-of course!" IF said, "I just wanted to make sure what we were doing, that's all."

Thomas nodded, before sighing, "I'm still worried about this."

"Same," IF frowned.


	33. ACT III: Into The Line Of Fire

The party moved east from Tacan Road, following a battle where Nepgear heard a gunshot from afar, assuming that bolt was meant to save her from an attacking robot. She had a small hope it was Uni, her friend, a CPU candidate, and an expert markswoman. It was a small hope, as IF couldn't see anyone fitting the description through her binoculars, and whoever shot that bullet wasn't popping up. If it wasn't Uni, or some other ally, then where did that shot come from? Nepgear may be a bit hopeful, but she wasn't so delusional to **imagine** the robot getting shot.

Thomas was still a little unnerved. He's been having this bad feeling since he saw the state of Lastation, and the signs of battle all over the place. At this point, he had to look even further ahead, since it's probably not the wisest of moves to be walking **towards** sniper fire. Even though these were veteran adventurers and CPUs with him, this was rather insane. Still, if Nepgear had hope, then perhaps he should be more believing.

"Uhh, no. This is still insane," Thomas muttered in an aside to IF, who was also equally skeptical.

"I know," IF sighed, "But if there's anything you should learn, it's that when it comes to these adventures, it's not all sane."

"I've been getting that lesson, time and again," Thomas grumbled, "Personally, I like having the ability of my head being attached to my neck."

"Just keep your eyes and ears open," IF said, "We'll deal with anything else that comes our way."

"Shouldn't you be holding your binoculars out at all times?" Thomas asked.

"They're right here," IF said, noting the strap around her neck, "Now calm down. That's an order from your boss."

After a beat, Thomas mock-pouted, "You're not the boss of me."

"I'll take that mocking as an improvement," IF countered.

Meanwhile, Ram walked up beside Blanc, "Blanc, that was really cool of you to take charge. Still, maybe we should be a bit more sneaky?"

Blanc pondered a moment, glancing back at the group, "You have a point, Ram. We should probably start using more cover as we progress."

"Easier said than done," Uzume spoke out, as she stretched out her arms, "There's a lot of open space around here!"

"Not exactly," Blanc remarked, "You can use the smallest of slopes or areas hit by damage as cover. It's challenging, but can be done."

"Blanc knows how to keep her small frame out of sight," Neptune smiled.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, Neptune," Blanc grumbled.

"I'm just kidding, Blanny," Neptune said, "Don't lose your hat! No, really, it might stick out the most from your cover."

"That aside," Uzume said as she kept her eyes ahead, "Let's be careful. Can't be running off on our own." Her eyes soon turned, along with her head, to Nepgear. That last sentence was likely aimed right at Nepgear, who was still clinging to that hope of hers, clutching her hands to her chest.

"I won't run off!" Plutia cheerily said, in her typical slow pace.

"Hiding behind cover as we go on sounds good," Thomas said, "You guys go on ahead. I'll, uh, keep an eye from over he-ow!"

Uzume promptly gave him a little bop on top of his head, "You're still keeping up with us. No going back now."

"Y-yeah, of course," Thomas winced, as this was the second time someone ordered him about. Nonetheless, he was still feeling uneasy.

"You can do it, Tom!" Rom beamed, as Thomas sighed. Great, even the shyest of the bunch was showing more bravery than he.

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Thomas' icon appears, with the statement: "My inventory for a horse."**

* * *

The wide-open plains of Lastation made trying to sneak around a little difficult. Even with the advise Blanc had given, it was not so easy to stay hidden for long. Thankfully for the party, they'd only encountered a few robots here and there, making for some relatively easy fights.

It did not help put Thomas at ease, however. It wasn't that he didn't have to fight during those few skirmishes, since the fights were easy enough for the others to handle themselves. It was the state of these robots which made him pause. Like in the previous fight where the party helped out some Dogoos, these robots were already damaged. In addition, he could see a few of them twitching now and then, clearly not in a good state. These robots must've seen some battle somewhere else. If so, what happened to those they faced? Were they monsters, or some of Lastation's people? These were just a few of the questions I am certain Thomas was thinking about.

"Actually, I was thinking about how long we've been walking," Thomas muttered to the narrator under his breath, "Though you aren't lying about me not being at ease."

"Ignoring the narrator," IF said, trying to move the topic away, "It's true that we've been on foot this entire time. Nothing new from our time in Planeptune or Lowee."

"Yes, but in a big area like this," Thomas said of the plains, "It'd be nice to have a vehicle or other mode of travel, wouldn't you agree?"

"We could always just fly if we need to!" Ram boasted, before getting a stare from both Thomas and IF, "Oh, right."

"There's a small, growing number of vehicles," Compa said, "The Triple C's popularity has got some people making more things to ride in!"

"Mostly little carts, Compa," IF said, "I was thinking something a little bigger."

"I don't know," Neptune piped in, grinning, "I wouldn't mind us all having a cart race."

"I'm talking about simple transportation," Thomas shook his head, "Not racing."

"I know Lastation is looking to make some more transit along the routes here," IF recalled, "The subway in Lastation goes pretty far north."

"How about things like cars, or trucks?" Thomas muttered, "I'd even take a motorcycle at this rate."

"Oh, well, there are a couple of motorcycles in Planeptune we could buy," IF said.

Thomas glanced at IF, "I know. I got an ad on my phone for some."

IF shrugged, "In any case, we'll have to wait until more vehicles are available."

"You know," Neptune pondered, "We may not have to use vehicles to ride around. I mean, monsters can be used as mounts, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Rom remembered, "Instead of taming monsters to fight, we could have them like horses, and ride them around!"

"Sounds good, Rom," Ram nodded, "But it would take a while to even do that. Like, what monsters would make good mounts anyway?"

"Dogoos? I remember some Dogoo Knights as monsters," Neptune recalled.

Thomas winced, "I'm not riding a Dogoo. Too squishy."

"Horsebirds might be good!" Compa said, "They are part horse, after all!"

"They seem too, er, energetic," Thomas thought about it, "They are constantly flapping their wings, acting out of control."

"Plus, I've seen eggplants on those things. Blech," Neptune shivered at the image, but then another image came up, and she spoke aloud, "I got one! We could tame the Chocopi! I bet they even got a cool theme to play if you ride those little birdies!"

"You know what?" Thomas said, already giving up, "I'll just stay on foot for the time being."

"If we had an actual answer, Tommy," Neptune noted, "We would've used it long ago. You're not the only one not wishing to use their legs so much."

Plutia yawned a little, "Aaah, you're telling me."

"I still like the idea of riding a monster at one point," Ram grinned devilishly, "I would totally ride an Ancient Dragon into battle!"

Thomas simply sighed. Perhaps it was too much to expect at this time.

Nepgear, Blanc and Uzume were up at the front while the others were chatting about transportation. They were leading the group as the vanguard, going up to the next possible hidden spot to rest for a bit and look before moving again. It was partly because of this that they managed to have only a few battles so far on the plains.

While Blanc was quietly observing, and Nepgear was still trying to spot any signs of an ally, Uzume was a little conflicted on what to feel. On the one hand, she was thrilled to be going with her friends around Gamindustri, and in a place she normally didn't go to when she was a young CPU. On the other hand, she wasn't too happy about the circumstances, with the firewall and the scars of battle the plains have seen. Taking a moment to rest inside a crater, Uzume could only think of similar 'scars' back in Zero Dimension. Lastation was nowhere near the state that dimension was in, but it wasn't really making her feel any better.

Overhearing the conversation behind her, Uzume laughed a little bit, "Heh, this place would make for some sightseeing tour. Er, minus the craters and burning foilage."

"Perhaps," Blanc responded, as she turned her head a little towards Uzume, "I personally would prefer going on a picnic around here, though."

Uzume's eyes lit up, "Picnic? Oh, that'd be so awesome! We could lounge in the sun, have, like, a bunch of cute snacks and teeny sandwiches, and play a few games! Then later, we can totally fly a bunch of nice looking kites that we all made beforehand! It'd be super sweet!"

Blanc blinked a bit as Uzume was once again in her little world, "Uh, Uzume?"

"Oh!" Uzume cleared her throat again, and said, "I mean, we might do all that, but I'm sure you would just use the opportunity to sit down and read some more, huh Blansy?"

Blanc hummed a little, before answering, "Most likely, especially if the weather was quite nice. Still, I wouldn't mind some of those other ideas." She arched an eyebrow, "I take that it someone might be interested?"

"Really?" Uzume was excited for a moment, then pulled herself back, "I mean, I have no problem with it. Whatever's cool."

"When this is all over," Blanc said, "I'll see if we can spare some time."

"I'd like that," Uzume said as she felt a little humbled, "And thanks. It would mean a lot."

"Not everyday you would have a picnic with a rival CPU," Blanc noted.

"Haha, yeah," Uzume said, "I never really had times like that back then. Though I would like to consider you a friend first, Blansy."

Blanc tched, "Just because we're on friendly terms, doesn't mean I won't stop in my quest to be the best CPU in Gamindustri."

"I don't expect any different!" Uzume grinned, "But so you know, you're gonna have to make it a really good picnic if you're going to make that claim."

"Oh, a challenge, how quaint," Blanc's expression grew defiant, "I'll show you the best damn picnic this side of Gamindustri."

"I'm looking forward to it," Uzume said happily. She doesn't need any more motivation to enjoy her second chance, or to get through this crisis, but it certainly didn't hurt to have more.

"You two, get down here," Nepgear finally piped up, waving for them to rush down a slope to hide behind.

Blanc and Uzume stopped their conversation right there, and quickly rushed down beside Nepgear, who was peering over at a group of robots. There were eight robots, rather undamaged, currently moving northwards.

Nepgear narrowed her eyes, getting a good look at the group, before saying quietly, "I think I see they got ranged weaponry. We'll have to be careful dealing with this group."

Blanc nodded to Nepgear, as Uzume looked behind her to see the rest of the group hiding in various locations. She made a couple of hand signals towards IF, namely holding up eight fingers for a moment before making a motion indicating they're holding a rifle. The robots actually have turrets for hands, but this motion made more sense.

At least to IF, it made sense. "Eight robots. They got guns, so we'll have to jump them quickly before they could fire," IF translated for the people beside her, Neptune and Plutia.

"It's a good thing you're here to translate," Neptune said, "Charades are not something I'm terribly good at."

"Nep," IF muttered before resuming her composure, "I think we can co-ordinate when to strike." She looked to Thomas, who was hiding behind some hilly terrain on the other side with Compa, Rom and Ram, and made a few hand signals to him to get attention.

Thomas saw IF making some gestures, looking confused for a second. Compa eventually pitched in, "I think Iffy wants us to go around to flank the robots." Thomas looked at Compa, who simply smiled, "We used to do a lot of charades back in school when the teacher wasn't looking."

Thomas eventually looked back to IF and gave a nod, as his group kept their heads down, walking along the small ridge to one side, while IF's group went along the other side, trying not to make any noise that would give them away.

Once Thomas and IF's groups were in position, Compa quietly said, "Iffy wants us to jump in right after Nepgear and the others make the first strike."

"Alright, let's get ready," Thomas said as he turned to hold his new sabre, getting ready to jump at the closest robot, "You taking on the one up front or the one a little back?"

"I'll handle the one up front," Compa said, "You have a bit more speed, so you should take on the other one."

Thomas nodded, as Rom spoke in a similar quiet tone, "Me and Ram will cover you. We'll hit 'em with a big ice spell to start."

"Okay," Thomas murmured, "We got a plan. Let's hope everyone's ready too."

* * *

With everyone in position, Nepgear took a deep breath, trying to calm herself for this next battle. Getting out her blade, she looked to see Uzume and Blanc ready and waiting for Nepgear to start the attack, setting her as leader for this battle. After exhaling, she calmed herself enough to signal the other groups, using the blade to wave a bit.

"Here I go," Nepgear said quietly, before jumping from her hiding spot, running towards the robot group, "Yaaaaaaah!"

There were a couple of low-pitched boops, indicating some surprise as the robots turned to face the charging Nepgear, followed by Uzume and Blanc. With the robots turning to the three, the other groups quickly hopped up, trying not to make too much noise, and charged at their flanks. Those robots were unable to get their guns up to fire before the groups launched their attack.

The first shot actually came from the twins, who bombarded the center of the robots with a giant ice block dropping in for an area attack. This was followed by IF dashing through with her katars, using some fire to infuse her attack so she can go through with ease. Just a few moments after that, Thomas charged with his own attack, aiming to at least unbalance his target enough to deal a more crippling blow. Before he could hit the next move, however, Neptune was already slashing through one robot, and came in for the assist.

"Don't mind me, just kill stealing," Neptune mused, as Thomas shrugged it off. Compa and Plutia, meanwhile, began bashing their respective targets with their, er, rather unorthodox weaponry. Compa made sure to use both the piercing point of her needle and the blunt damage of the syringe's sheer size to destroy the robot in front. Plutia, on the other hand, was extremely blunt, smashing her target over the head with her plushie, and then repeating the motion to crush it beneath her. Plutia looked a little excited during the attack, but let's try not to think too hard about it.

With the five up front being attacked or already destroyed, that left the other three robots left to deal with the charging Nepgear. Nepgear was fast, but the robot was just quick enough to hold up its arm to try and deflect the incoming blade. There was a bit of armor along its arm which it used to barely hold back the first attack. A quick shove later, the robot switched its gun for a bladed hand, and began to duel with the CPU candidate.

Meanwhile, Uzume let out a wild yell into her megaphone, **"Yaaaaaaaah!"** The ensuing sonic waves pushed her target back and to the side, knocked into Blanc's opponent, who was more than happy to smash the two down with her giant hammer. The battle, so far, was turning out like the previous ones.

Nepgear struggled a little with the robot, who was a bit more adapt with his blade than the ones in previous battles. She even had to take a few steps back to keep her balance against an attempted counter-attack. Nepgear eventually saw an opportunity, and stunned the robot with a parry.

And then, another gunshot was heard, and like before, the robot fighting Nepgear was shot through the head. Even though the battle was rather noisy, everyone could hear that shot this time.

Nepgear got quickly over her sense of deja vu to look again to the east, where she heard the shot. As the others were busy making sure the rest of the robots were defeated, Nepgear ran in that direction, desperately looking for whoever helped there.

"Gearsy!" Uzume called out, getting the attention of an equally concerned Neptune, who hopped back and tried to catch up to her sister. Uzume grimaced as Nepgear paid no heed, "Damnit."

Nepgear ran out to a more open area overlooking the east, trying to find any hair or hide of her rescuer, "Where are you? Goodness! Why do you have to hide so much?" Growing more frustrated, Nepgear called out, **"Where are you? Come out already!"**

"Nepgear, no!" Neptune called out this time, leaping to her sister, and pulled her away in her arms, spinning just as Nepgear heard another shot. Diving behind a boulder, Neptune held tightly to her sister, then eventually eased up, loosening her grip.

"N-n-no, Neptune? Neptune!" Nepgear assumed the worst had happened, "Oh no, what have i done? Neptune, I'm so sorry for running off. I wasn't sure if it was friend or foe! Oh, how could I be so stupid? Neptune!" She clung to her sister once more, embracing her, and starting to sob, "I'm so sorry! I promise at the very least to lay swift vengeance on your killer! It's the least I can do to help repent for my actions!"

"Gack! I'm not dead, Nepgear," Neptune gasped between hugs, "P-please stop squeezing so hard. My eyes are starting to pop out of their sockets."

"Eep!" Nepgear quickly let go of her quite alive sister, "S-sorry!" She wiped her eyes, relieved Neptune's alright for the most part.

"B-but how did you figure out you had to save me?" Nepgear asked.

Neptune coughed a bit, trying to get back her strength after nearly being hugged to death, "Gah, well, sis, I noticed after Uzume called you out, I looked ahead. I saw a glint of a weapon there, but it certainly was not an ally holding it."

Nepgear blinked, "I didn't see it!"

Neptune said, "Well, I guess you were too busy looking for something, or someone, else."

Nepgear sobbed, hugging Neptune again, though not as tightly as earlier. Neptune sighed, "Gee Nepgear, don't let it get you down. We're both okay. Good thing whatever it was, it missed."

Uzume rushed in behind the boulder to meet the other two, crouching down, "You two okay? What happened?"

Nepgear sniffed, "We're both okay. N-Neptune saved me here."

Neptune patted her sister's head for some comfort, "Easy, dear sis. Uzume, I saw a glint of a weapon out of the giant crater over there." She pointed out the northeast, where there was a dip in the terrain, "Whatever that weapon was, it wasn't held by any ally I know."

Uzume nodded, "I'll try to get a better look for you guys." She leaned against the boulder, beside the two sisters, and slowly dipped her head down as she peeked over to where Neptune pointed.

A few seconds later, another gunshot was heard, and Uzume coiled back as she felt something. Thankfully, the shot missed her head. However, one of her long red twintails unraveled a bit, as the shot went through part of her hair.

"Wah!" Uzume gasped, pulling back to cover before checking her messed-up hair, "It shot my hair! That freakin' asshole!"

"Least it was just your hair," Neptune muttered.

"IF, come in," Uzume went to her radio to call the group, "We've got some weird armored robot with a sniper rifle around here. Take cover immediately."

"Got it," IF's voice was heard from the radio, before Uzume hung up the quick call.

Uzume looked at her messed-up hair, grumbling a little to herself. Neptune tilted her head, but chose not to say anything. Uzume then spoke up, "I got a good look at the thing, even for a small moment. It's got some damage on it, and looks to be on the fritz."

"Are you saying it may be going crazy, shooting anything?" Neptune asked.

"Maybe," Uzume said, before her radio started up again, "Hmm?"

"Uzume, IF here," the voice called out, as the others have hidden further back. Uzume could see IF's head popping out briefly, checking with her binoculars, "The robot is definitely going haywire. I just saw it take out one of its own." Her head went back down, "This thing's a danger to anyone around."

"Any ideas how to take it down?" Uzume asked.

"Not yet," IF responded, "I'm looking around for some closer cover, but it might shoot at us before we even get close."

"This is all my fault," Nepgear said, calming down with one last sniff, "If only I didn't bring you all out here."

"It's not your fault, Nep Junior," Neptune stated, "Besides, we would have to deal with things like this at some point. We can't have robots like this running around sniping everything."

"Uh, I know, Neptune, but," Nepgear hesitated, before letting go and standing up, "I got us into this, all the same. I have to do something to fix this!"

"Nepgear?" Neptune was about to say more but Nepgear soon invoked her transformation, changing into her CPU form.

"Don't worry," Nepgear stated with some renewed purpose, "I can do this."

"Wait, Gearsy!" Uzume tried to tell Nepgear to hold a moment, but Purple Sister had enough. She blasted up into the skies and began to circle around to get a look at this sniper bot.

Unlike the other robots they've faced so far, which had an easy-to-see glow, this one had a faint dark green glow line some of its armor. While it wasn't heavily armored, there appeared to be far more plating on it than the average robot faced so far. If it wasn't for the constant sparking and occasional twitching, it would be a little easier to miss, as its armor had a green and brown camouflage.

Its right arm had a sniper rifle attachment, and its right eye had a small scope. The robot finally took note of the CPU candidate, making a distorted-sounding beep before kneeling down and aiming upwards at the airborne target.

Nepgear floated in mid-air, taking out her gunblade, and waited patiently. Even though in this setting, one gunshot wouldn't be enough to bring an adventurer or goddess down, despite Nepgear's earlier concerns, it would be extremely damaging. This was likely a high-level sniper, in any case.

Nepgear stared and waited for the first shot. It was hard to tell since the sniper bot had no trigger to pull, but the quick flash of the gun was enough for Nepgear to spin to her right, just barely evading the shot. She flew to her right, causing the bot to swivel in place to try and get another aim. Nepgear used the small window of opportunity to fire her own weapon at the robot. The first shot barely whizzed past the robot's head, while the second was deflected off of one of its armored plates. The last hit its left arm, damaging it a little, but otherwise causing not enough damage.

The robot swiveled enough to get another aim at Nepgear. However, another spark emitted from its body before it fired, cause its aim to be off. Unfortunately, it was enough to hit one of Nepgear's wings, causing the CPU candidate to drop altitude.

"Nepgear!" Neptune, Uzume, and IF called out from their positions, while all of them were ready to charge at the robot. The others, watching up to this point, were readying their weapons to run in. Despite this, they were still quite away from the fight, and even IF's quick feet or Rom and Ram's magic range would not be enough to intervene.

Nepgear landed on the ground, a couple of feet away from the robot, quickly aiming her weapon while still reeling from the shot and abrupt landing. The robot had its gun aimed right at Nepgear's head. There was little doubt the two were at a stalemate.

Nepgear gritted her teeth. Her hope here would be to take the shot, and pray that she won't take much damage in retaliation. It was a risk she was willing to take, given the rest of the party was already starting to make their way up.

Once more, a gunshot was heard from everyone. This time, it was the robot that flinched, as a shot managed to pierce its shoulders, jolting it away from its stance and taking several steps back.

It was not Nepgear.

Within moments, another airborne CPU dove in, her own weapon already aiming for another shot. The weapon was no blade; instead, it was an immense rifle, a purely ranged weapon. The woman holding it, a white-haired, black-clad CPU, glared down with fury at the robot, before shouting out her SP skill's name.

 **"Brave Cannon!"**

Her shot charged up and fired before the robot could fully react, and the large laser was enough to disintegrate the sniper bot, leaving behind the fresh smell and look of a burning crater.

The CPU landed as gracefully as she could nearby, lifting her gigantic rifle behind her head and muttering, "Took me a while to finally track that thing down." Her green eyes turned over to the stunned Nepgear, where she frowned, and said with a fluster, "A-a-and as for you! What were you doing out there? Trying to take on this thing on your own, really..."

Before Nepgear could react, the girl turned her head to notice the rest of the party had finally arrived, running in. She could make out a few of them at quick glance, namely Neptune, Blanc, Uzume, and the twins. She felt a bit of relief wash over her shoulders, seeing other CPUs, and turned to face them. Putting her weapon away, she gave a quick salute to the group.

"CPU Candidate Uni, reporting in! I'm here to help!"


	34. ACT III: Exposition CPU Candidate Away!

"CPU Candidate Uni, reporting in! I'm here to help!"

Uni had arrived just in time to assist Nepgear in destroying a malfunctioning robot on the rampage at the Lastation Plains. The robot sniped anything within its scope's range, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, monster, human, or robot. Nepgear's fight with the robot was enough to distract it for Uni to get some good shots, enough to put it down for good.

The first reaction to her reporting in was Uzume, who had sparkles in her eyes, "Woah, that was an amazing entrance there, Unisy! Diving in to blast that baddie down was amazing!"

The CPU candidate's cheek flushed a little bit, "Um, well, uh, th-thanks, Uzume. I just did what I had to do, and-"

She paused, feeling someone's hand touching a bit of her hair. She looked over to her side, seeing a sleepy-eyed Plutia 'bouncing' one of her tails up and down, "P-Plutia?" She narrowed her eyes at the happy CPU, "What are you doing?"

"Your hair is very bouncy, Uni, hehe," Plutia giggled as she played a little with it, "I don't know how you managed that style!"

"Please stop playing with my hair," Uni said in a low tone, before sighing. She soon invoked her transformation back into her human form. Her dark hair no longer having the spiral style that Plutia was fiddling with. Plutia only aw'd in disappointment, putting her hands back away from Uni.

"I see CPUs from both Planeptune and Lowee," Uni said in thought, "How did you manage to get here?" She asked the nearby Planeptune girls.

"We used a magic key!" Plutia beamed.

Uzume shook her head, "Something like that. We found a way to bring down these barriers. We just came in from Lowee a while back."

"You did?" Uni's eyes widened, as she looked to her north. Sure enough, the barrier that had kept them out of Lowee was down, allowing her to see more in the distance, "This is great news! Noire's going to be real happy when she hears about this."

"I was just going to ask!" Neptune said with a smile, "Is Noire with you? I don't see your adorable big sister anywhere around here."

"No, she's not," Uni responded, "She's with everyone currently surrounding the city." She sighed, muttering, "Probably still staring at the barrier."

IF hummed quietly to herself, before speaking up, "I think it might be best to get us caught up on what's been happening here."

"O-of course!" Uni nodded to IF, "I'll try to explain as best as I ca- **waah!"**

 **"Uni!"** Coming to her senses, and changing back into her human form, Nepgear surprised a distracted Uni with a hug, wrapping her arms around her waist, "I'm so happy to see you again! You have no idea how long I've been worried!"

"N-Nepgear!" Uni exclaimed, wriggling under the candidate's surprisingly tight grip around her, "Do you mind? I was going to explain to everyone about what happened here!"

A bit more squirming later, Uni grumbled, "This is embarrassing. Okay, okay! Nepgear, I miss you too. P-please let go now."

Nepgear giggled, complying after another squeeze. Ram laughed a bit, "Someone's got someone under her thumb!" Rom observed a different, "It's nice that miss Nepgear looks so happy now. I was starting to worry, too."

"And everyone's watching too, great," Uni muttered, "Still, i-it's good to see you all here. With all the CPU candidates united, we should tackle almost any threat now."

Blanc look around the area they were in, and asked, "Is it safe to be doing more talking here? There may be more robots to deal with."

Uni shook her head, "We should be fine. Truth be told, I was sent here on my own to deal with the lone sniper robot. I don't believe we'll have any more problems around here."

"We took on a couple more robots on the way here," Uzume said, "There may be more lingering."

"I suppose we'll need to take a break from any potential fighting," Uni pondered, "I know a safe spot I was resting at, not off far from here. I'll tell you more over there."

IF nodded, "Alright, let's regroup and take a moment to rest."

As the group was moving out, following Uni's lead, Thomas lingered in the back, remaining quiet. Compa noticed this, as she was in the back being quiet as well, whispering, "Weren't you going to say anything?"

"I don't know what to say yet," Thomas said bluntly.

"Maybe hello?" Compa simply asked.

"Oh? We were all supposed to?" Thomas asked, turning his head over to Compa. He then asked her, "Did you say hello there?" Compa laughed a bit, but visibly sweatdropped.

Thomas turned his head back, "We'll have plenty of time for hellos. Besides, I at least would like to hear her story, first."

Compa nodded, as Thomas continued on his pace, not looking interested in further conversing. Compa took a deep breath afterwards to clear her own thoughts, and moved her legs quickly to catch up to the rest of the party.

* * *

Although there weren't any high mountains in the surrounding area, Uni did pick a good location to hide atop a small hill overlooking the place. A few spared trees and bushes surround the place, which allowed Uni plenty of space in the middle to talk. Rom and Ram sat down near Plutia, who was also seated, as though they were waiting for Uni to tell a long story.

"Sorry to say, there won't be a long story or flashback for this one," Uni said to the three, her eyes looking around to make sure there were no more enemies around to deal with.

"I just wanna rest," Plutia said with another light yawn.

Ram grimaced, "What? I was getting excited for nothing."

Rom smiled happily, "It's okay if I stay seated, right?"

"Uh, yes. It's okay if everyone wants to sit down," Uni said, before looking back to Plutia, "Plutia, you've come to help as well?"

Plutia nodded, to which Uzume chimed in, "Our group started in Planeptune. We kinda grew from there, then went to help out Lowee. The others eventually joined in."

"Quite a big group you have right now," Uni said, getting a better look at the group.

"We actually need everyone with us," Nepgear said, finally sitting herself down next to Neptune, who was leaning back on a tree, enjoying the shade, "The CPUs are needed for bringing down the barriers."

"Really? That'll make it easier to get back into Lastation, then!" Uni sounded pleased with this.

"Back into Lastation, huh?" Blanc asked rhetorically.

"Uh, y-yeah, not like we had much choice in the matter, though," Uni lamented.

IF cleared her throat, as she stayed standing, near another tree in case she needed to lean against something, "Let's start from the beginning. Uni, tell us what happened after the firewall dropped on Gamindustri."

"Firewall, huh," Uni pondered, "So that's what you all have been calling it?" As she asked this, she noted a few other people in the party, all familiar adventurers to her. All, save one. However, for now she had to focus on her exposition.

"Anyway," Uni said as she moved her hands to the side, trying to be composed, "Both Noire and I were at the Basilicom when the sky started acting all weird, with the electricity cracking above and everything. I remembered seeing it outside a window, and was pointing it out to Noire just before things got even more crazy."

She frowned, "One of our staff down in the lower levels of the Basilicom ran as fast as she could to report. Something drilled its way up, and a bunch of robots were pouring into the level, attacking anyone or anything that wasn't them. No sooner did she say that, then the robots began pouring into our level from down below."

She continued, "Noire and I were able to hold them off for a while as the rest of our staff evacuated. We tried to push back, but there were so many of them coming in at once. It was a massive incursion, like a giant flood of them. I don't know how many but it was too many to face at once. The two of us had no choice but to move back, and get out of the Basilicom."

Uni clenched her fists, crossing her arms to hold back the anger welling in her, "It got worse once we did get out. These robots were not only coming out from the Basilicom. Many of them were already within Lastation, causing a general panic in the market and attacking some of our people. That wasn't all. We all felt a huge rumbling, and something else was drilling up into the city from the center plaza."

"Was it another robot?" Neptune interrupted, causing Uni to pause a moment to get her breath, "We fought one of those big ones at Virtua Forest. It came from underground, as well."

Uni blinked, "A big robot? N-no, it wasn't. In fact, I wish it was just another robot. That might've made things a little more manageable."

"So, what was it?" Ram asked, as her mind raced with possible ideas. There was little doubt among the party that the answer might not be as fantastical as what she's imagining at the moment.

"It was a gigantic... um..." Uni winced, "I don't know what to call it. It was some large machine on wheels. Yeah, a big tent-like machine!"

"Mechanical tent?" Nepgear looked confused, but was clearly interested in what it could be.

"Not so much a tent, but it certainly was holding a bunch of robots inside," Uni said as she unfolded her hands to try and gesture how big it was, or how it was shaped. Uni gave up after trying a few times to get the image out, "The... bah, more of them came out of that giant thing! It was like a big armored personnel carrier!"

"A carrier?" IF tilted her head, "And it drilled up into Lastation?"

"I know it sounds absolutely crazy," Uni shook her head, "But we all saw it! You can still make it out inside the barrier that surrounds Lastation's city!"

"I take it from there, that you all retreated out of Lastation before the barrier came down?" Blanc asked, trying to get back on track.

"Exactly," Uni said, "There was just so many at the time that we couldn't regroup. We gave the order to evacuate the city and brought out as many as we could. Those that stayed behind, I don't know what happened. The robots seemed to be isolating many of the residents in the city within their houses. At least, those we couldn't save in the short time we had."

"When the barrier finally came down," Uni said with her eyes closed, not too fond of recalling the rest, "We all fled away to the west, trying to regroup in some of the small villages there. The robots pursued us. They were capable of bypassing the barriers, so there was seemingly no end to the amount coming out from Lastation."

Uni opened her eyes, though still feeling down, "The first few days were difficult. We barely managed to defend against the oncoming waves. Things finally slowed down, and we reorganized whatever strength our people could muster up. We grabbed whatever we could in the outlying areas, and then began our campaign to surround the city. We set up our main forces around the capital, kept our guns pointed, and have been waiting since."

"Every now and then," Uni looked over her shoulder, back towards the capital, "We get another wave of robots, but our forces are dug-in well enough to repel them. That big land carrier is still inside, though, not moving since it stopped next to our Basilicom. We've been firing a few shots at the barrier with our cannons, but it doesn't seem to be working. Noire's been restless. Most of the time when I'm up, I see her hanging around the cannons. She's been putting on a brave face, giving out a few orders here and there, but I know she's extremely worried."

"Well, don't you worry, Noire Junior!" Neptune said as she slid up from her seat, "We'll definitely help her out!"

"I, I, uh, thank you," Uni said with a small bow of her head to Neptune, "But before we do that, there is something I need to do, and I would like it if you could come with me to deal with it first."

"Wouldn't you prefer us to head over to reassure Noire and bring down that barrier?" Nepgear asked.

"That's true," Uni said, "But there's another matter to deal with. You see, since we've set up our camp, our guys have gone out to secure areas around the city. Small villages, key locations, that sort of thing. We had to set up defenses around, as well. We had robots invading not just from Lastation, but a few skirmishes with them from the other directions as well. The ocean to the east, the coasts from the south, as well as a few skirmishes days ago from west and north."

"West and north?" Blanc blinked, "We came from the north, having just liberated Lowee. And east is where Planeptune is..."

"There are still areas east under a barrier," Uzume said, "The cities around the former Gamindustri Graveyard are still isolated."

"Oh," Uni mentally noted, before continuing, "It's trickled down to just a few coming in now and then, over from there. We had a big influx of robots from the north a while back that tried to attack our camp. That's why you've seen the mess you see now. We drove the robots away, damaging several, including that sniper bot you saw."

"So the robots that left our nations after defeating their big bad boss went to the next nation," Uzume frowned at this revelation.

"At least we've managed to defeat most of them, so they wouldn't regroup with the others," Uni tried to find one positive of that, "Anyway, we've had a few groups out, and I'm meant to check in with the group securing Parap Station. It's part of the subway leading into Lastation. There's a small hope we could get into the city from there, but with the barriers and all, I don't know if we could go through there."

"You want us to come with you to Parap Station first, is that it?" IF asked.

"I want to be sure the people we sent over there are okay," Uni nodded, "A little extra firepower would be really helpful, too."

"I hate to not meet with Noire sooner," Neptune admitted, "But I did remember during our trip through Lowee to help out anywhere we could. Soooo, let's help Noire Junior here achieve her little objective first."

"I have no objection to this," Blanc said, "We may find something over at Parap Station."

IF nodded, then looked to the others, "If there are no real objections, I guess we'll take the detour."

"I wanna help out miss Uni!" Rom said in the simplest of terms.

Nepgear giggled, "I'm not going to say no. After all, I do owe her for the assist."

"O-of course you do!" Uni stammered, "I'm going to hold you up to that. Y-you better be ready to back up your word!"

IF smirked a bit, before looking around to see if anyone had anything to add. As she eyed Thomas waiting quietly, he gave her a polite shrug.

"Alright," IF gestured in a northeasterly direction, "I guess our first real objective here is to help Uni out at Parap Station."

"Thanks, everyone," Uni bowed her head, "I hope this won't be too much of a detour for all of us."

* * *

With the exposition out of the way and the party caught up on what was happening, they began their movement northwest, through the open on the way to Parap Station. Blanc was somewhat familiar with the station's location, as it was a frequent stop for travelers between Lowee and Lastation, who didn't want to just walk the whole journey. Because of this, she led the group while Uni was more content to stay around the back, relying on her ranged weaponry to handle any enemies attacking the party.

She took out her sniper rifle, the weapon she was using during her trip, and checked each part to make sure it was in good shape during the trek. Nepgear was quick to watch Uni at work, even as everyone else was walking past them.

"Uh, Nepgear?" Uni said with a weak smile, "Do you mind not being so close? I'm trying to maintain my weapon here."

"Oops! Sorry," Nepgear flustered, leaning back a bit. She glanced down, "You must think I've been a little too clingy lately."

"Haven't noticed at all," Uni said dryly, before putting the finishing touches on her weapon, "I can kinda understand, though. Just a little. I, er, I mean, we were all worried about the others too, you know?"

Nepgear hummed an affirmative, and the two shared an awkward pause together. Uni put away her weapon, wondering how to change the subject, before Nepgear surprised her with a question, "Uh, Uni? Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure, I'm not stopping you," Uni said, holding her hands behind her back.

"Were you, were you the one who saved me earlier?" Nepgear asked.

Uni blinked, "Earlier?"

"I mean, before you showed up, all of us were following a gunshot heard from this way," Nepgear tried to explain, "I thought maybe it was you who-"

Uni shook her head, "Sorry. I only caught sight of you all after you engaged with the sniper robot." She sighed, "Nepgear, did you bring the whole party with you here just to look for me?"

"Well, sort of," Nepgear answered honestly, "It was Blanc and Neptune who decided to push ahead after I told them what I heard. I did suggest going first, though!"

Uni winced, flustering, "That was very dangerous! Y-you shouldn't have done that just to find me!"

"Sorry," Nepgear frowned, feeling a bit down.

"N-no need to get all mopey!" Uni spoke with more uneasiness, "I-I just didn't want you all getting hurt on my account. I can handle myself!" She mumbled, "B-but I'm glad you did show up, though."

There was yet another odd pause, as Nepgear smiled weakly to Uni. Her hearing certainly picked up that last bit, but she declined to say anything further. Uni took another deep breath and sighed, trying to distract away from some flushed cheeks.

Uni then asked, once more trying to change subject, "So, uh, Nepgear? H-how's the new lab coming along?"

Nepgear blinked, her eyebrows raising as she wasn't really expecting Uni to ask. However, since she did, Nepgear was happy enough to answer, "It's been working out so far. I should have everything I need primed and ready to go. Of course, we'll need to do a few tests first to get some of the kinks out, but I'm sure everything will be within reasonable parameters!"

"That's great!" Uni said lightly, before tilting her head, "So how long are you going to hold out before unveiling it to everyone else?"

"Eh?" Nepgear's expression soured briefly, "Well, I haven't really gotten into the specifics yet and-"

"Nepgear!" Uni looked cross at her friend, "You can't be doing all that and not letting Histoire know about it! She's going to find out eventually."

"I said I was making a lab, didn't I?" Nepgear asked, twiddling around with her fingers.

Uni stared a hole right at her, "You know what I meant by that. I highly suggest you let her know about it before she finds out on her own. It'll make things a **lot** easier."

Nepgear hesitated, "Well, you see, I wasn't really sure if I should." She quickly seized upon a bit of movement up in the front of the party, and exclaimed, "Oh! I think my sister wants me for something! We'll chat about this later, Uni. Really!"

She quickly bailed, leaving a frustrated Uni to call out, **"I'm not telling Histoire for you! Got that, Nepgear?"** The shout was enough to be overheard by some of the back row, including a rather quiet Thomas. Uni shook her head, muttering, "Damnit, sometimes I worry too much for her."

Thomas had kept to himself for the most part since Uni showed up. Save for a brief conversation with Compa, and a shrug to IF, he wasn't particularly in the mood to talk or socialize. It was quite a change from the concern or panic he expressed when they first went into Lastation territory. However, as Uni slowly facepalmed, Thomas was a little concerned, and briefly held a hand up, almost wanting to assist. He stopped himself, ultimately, since he wasn't sure what he could possibly do, or if his help was really needed.

He had just slumped his shoulders, putting his hands into his hoodie's pockets, when he was startled by the sudden move by the CPU Candidate.

"You!" Uni swirled around to face Thomas, staring him down with her dark red eyes, while holding her hands behind her. Thomas was caught off-guard by the change, stopping in his movement, and nearly stumbling back. "Did you think I wouldn't notice someone like you hanging around this group?"

Thomas was already stunned, but before he could even get his jaw open to say anything, Uni raised a hand, "Don't answer that." She put down her hand, continuing to glare, "I don't know exactly what happened in Lowee or Planeptune, but just what the hell are you doing here?"

After finally composing himself a little bit, he tried to answer, "W-well, it's a rather long story." He rubbed the back of his neck, still somewhat nervous, "About several chapters worth, really."

Hmm, did Thomas just break the fourth wall, or was that a simple comment. I need to go to the judge for this. Neptune?

Neptune, who was out in the front row, turned over to shrug a little, "Eh, I'll allow it. It's all a book slash story thing with Tommy, so it's fine."

Alright, back to the conversation! Uni made a sideways glare, presumably at my brief interruption, before looking back to Thomas, "Give me the short version."

Thomas frowned, trying to think of how to condense all that happened within a short amount of time, "Uh, well..."

"Well?" Uni waited, but she wasn't particularly patient with Thomas' nervousness. If he's like this right now, what's to think he'd do well against monsters?

"It's a lot to take in, okay?" Thomas grumbled, before going into his inventory to bring out the old tome to hand to Uni, "Here."

"Huh?" Uni blinked, looking down at the tome, "What's this about?"

"It all started with my rescue by a previous Planeptune goddess, and getting this tome," Thomas started, "It holds the key to taking down these barriers. No no, you missed it, it's that page over there," He tried to correct Uni while she was flipping pages, "That one. Yes, it has scribbles that you probably can read. **I don't know why!"**

Thomas seethed, before continuing on, "Since then, I've been going around Planeptune, and later Lowee, to help bring all the goddesses together so they can get these barriers down. As for why I'm still here, apparently I have some CPU-boosting skills but really! You think I would **want** to be around all this fighting?"

Uni was reading through the tome's instructions, surprised that she could use this information all along. Why couldn't she know something like this earlier? She was a little frustrated that such information was hidden to her. As she looked up from the tome, about to reply to Thomas, she could see him glaring back at her, arms crossed.

"It was a reason why I asked you were here, idiot," Uni grumbled, "Still, if you're going to tag along, just try and stay out of the way."

"That was the idea," Thomas muttered, as he stopped his glare to look away.

Uni frowned, and pivoted around, "Just letting you know now. Also, if I see you do anything-"

"You and everyone else will beat me to a pulp," Thomas interrupted, "Yes. I know."

Uni harrumphed, and began to head off, leaving Thomas alone to shake his head. He started to count, "One... two... three..."

Uni stopped, realizing something, and pivoted around, storming back. She looked flustered as she jabbed the tome into Thomas' gut, murmuring, "Forgot to give this back to you."

Thomas winced at the jab, but kept a bit of composure as he took back the tome. He quietly asked, "Did you get everything you could from the instructions?"

Uni nodded, her face looking away this time, "Yeah, I got it."

"Good," Thomas said, before sighing. He at least wanted to say something a little more, so he continued, "F-for whatever it's worth, miss Uni, I'm glad to see you're alright."

"Y-you don't have to be so formal with me, you know," Uni winced at the whole thing, "Just Uni will be fine."

"Uh, right, my apologies," Thomas said nervously.

"Geez, it's not like we haven't talked in forever," Uni sighed, "B-but thanks. Good to see you, a-and everyone else here's alright, too."

"Y-yeah," Thomas nodded, but before he could get another word in, Uni quickly turned about and ran over to catch up to the group. "We'll talk some other time!" Uni blurted out as she ran in much the same way Nepgear evaded her earlier.

Thomas put away the tome into his inventory, still wincing a bit from the jab, "Oof, well, all things considered, that hello went alright." He resumed his walk, muttering quietly some more.

Will things at Parap Station go alright, or awry? How will Uni mesh with the rest of the party? And will Thomas have a better, less awkward hello with Noire? My hunch says no on the last one. Feel free to agree or disagree, because right now, that's the end of this chapter! See ya next time!

* * *

 **(Edited: "Quick shout-out to reader Yu Narukaze for pointing out my mistake in mixing east with west. Damnit. All I can say is I am a derp." - The derpy author.)**


	35. ACT III: In My Sights

From the Lastation Plains, Uni joined with the party as they moved north and west. It was not long before they found a straight dirt path. This path was used by most travelers heading back and forth between Lowee and Lastation, and used Lastation's subway system for some of the trip. Much like most of the plains, the path has had its share of battle scars and debris making up some of the obstacles in the way.

Uni had been going through her weaponry that she stored in her inventory, making sure everything was ready for the next part of her mission. Outside on the plains, she relied heavily on her sniper rifle to pick off far away targets. However, as the party was heading to the subway station, Uni was sorting out her submachine gun, which would prove more useful at closer range. She also had an assault rifle and a shotgun in her inventory, just in case! To say she was heavily-armed would be understating Uni's arsenal.

After looking through her inventory, Uni noticed IF typing a lot on her phone, and moved up to peek over the Guild agent's shoulder. IF felt someone was looking behind her, and paused to turn her head, "Oh, hey Uni. I'm just updating Histoire on our progress so far."

"Oh, of course!" Uni nodded, as she walked over alongside IF, "How is Histoire doing, by the way?"

"Histy's her usual busy self," IF answered, "She's helping out as best she can from back at Planeptune's Basilicom. Nep stuffed her in a cabinet during a robot attack, though."

Uni laughed weakly, "Poor Histoire. At least it sounds like she's doing okay. Tell her I said hello, i-if you like!"

IF nodded, "You got it. I'm also telling her what you've managed to tell us so far about what happened here."

Uni sighed, "I wish I gave you some more information. I feel like I haven't said much at all, sadly."

"No, Uni, it was quite useful!" IF assured her, "It might give us some clues about these robots and this firewall."

"R-really?" Uni asked as she was surprised by this.

"So far," IF recalled, "They've been isolating whatever they can, be it CPUs or citizens. Also, they've been coming from underground. We've seen this in Virtua Forest with that big robot, and we had something similar happen at the Expo in Lowee."

"The Expo? What do you mean by that?" Uni inquired, "What happened there?"

"There was a similar incursion attacking the populace there," IF said, "During our trip there, we came across an old abandoned mine connected to the Expo. The robots may have used that area to attack through there."

"That's quite a guess," Uni said, "Even if that is true, that they've been underground, what of it?"

IF closed her eyes, thinking aloud, "We've had little information on them so far, so if there's anything resembling a clue, we might be able to pinpoint the origin of these things. We might even find whatever caused the firewall in the first place."

"Underground robots," Uni hrmed, "Anything's possible at this point."

Since Uni said that, Neptune decided to finally pipe in, as she was overhearing the conversation behind her. Neptune smiled, with an expression that kinda gave away that she might be joking, "I got an idea what it could be!"

"No," Neptune was given a stern rebuttal by both Uni and IF. Even Blanc, who was nearby, joined in on the "no", even though she wasn't sure what they were talking about. She just knew she'd regret whatever Neptune was saying.

"Bleh," Neptune pouted, "You even said that anything is possible!"

"It's not worth whatever joke you've come up with, Nep," IF retorted.

Nepgear, who had been listening and hanging around her sister, smiled over at Neptune, "You can tell me if you want, Neptune."

"Daww, thanks, dear sister! I knew I could count on you!" Neptune beamed, before getting to it, "There's one obvious explanation for this!"

"You don't mean-!" Nepgear looked on wide-eyed at her sister.

"Exactly!" Neptune pointed her finger accusingly at the ground, "It can only be one thing! Mole people!"

Blanc immediately snorted, "Pfft, ha! Mole people? Really, Neptune? That's the joke theory you wanna go with?"

"Well, yeah!" Neptune grinned, "Obviously, I don't mean the literal science-fiction mole people!"

"You weren't?" Nepgear asked, sounding disappointed.

"Ah, sorry Nep Junior," Neptune shook her head, "But come on, there's gotta be some underground group plotting all this! A group that maybe resents us goddesses."

"I really hope that's not it," Nepgear winced, "After what happened with the Seven Sages, I'd rather not go through that again."

"As ridiculous as Neptune's theory is, we cannot discount that whatever it is, they are seeking out to deal with the CPUs," IF said, "After all, if this was all an anti-viral program initially, then something must've happened to change its programming like this."

"So long as it's not literal mole people," Blanc remarked, "I don't think I could come up with something so silly as a plot."

"Uhhh, really Blanc? Have you read your own books?" Neptune mused, to which Blanc shot a quick glare at her, trying not to lose her top.

"All we could do is speculate, it seems," Uni muttered.

"It's okay, Uni," IF assured her once more, "With each new bit of information, we'll get closer to what we're dealing with. Histoire, the Guild, and many adventurers are working behind us to check on any leads."

"Okay," Uni hrmed, "I think I get the idea of how you are all operating. I hope me and Noire will help out a little more so we can get to the bottom of this."

"We're glad to have you aboard, Noire Junior!" Neptune smiled, "I know my little sister is certainly looking better now knowing you're around!"

"Neptune, really..." Nepgear's cheeks flushed.

Uni tried to play off of this, getting into a cocky expression, "B-but of course! Just you watch, Neptune! You all have nothing to worry about! With me around, this crisis is as sure as finished!"

Nepgear's eyes sparkled at Uni's determination, "Wow, Uni. You're looking so cool right now! Just like when you came in to save me!" She giggled, inadvertently making Uni more self-conscious of herself.

Uzume blinked a few times at Nepgear's complimenting of Uni. While she knew that Nepgear was just happy to see Uni after, she was feeling a tad envious. "I wish Nepgear said I was cool more often," she said quietly as an aside to herself. Still, she smiled some at the flustering Uni.

"A little of her sister's confidence is showing," Neptune added.

"Let's just hope she's not too over-confident," IF said.

"I hope so too," muttered a somewhat worried Uni, to which IF smirked at the silly candidate. She was used to these boasts by anyone these days. At the very least, Uni was well-aware. As a narrator, I just hope this isn't too much for the Lastation candidate. Uh, not that I have a favorite in the group or anything!

* * *

Anyway, moving along, the party did unfortunately meet with a few mobs along the way. Although Compa may have helped out in making some new Dogoo friends, that did not stop the party from having to fight various other wild Dogoos. In addition, the group encountered a few more Jellies, Vaders, and other small enemies such as the Chocopi.

Uni took this time to get a better feeling of where she would fit into the party. Though she was ahead of the magic casters, healers, and Thomas, she still stayed back for the most part. It grew a bit hectic for her as there were a lot of her friends up front attacking. Uni bit her lower lip, trying to make out how to contribute.

Whenever the party got to a new mob. she would be the first to point out a target she would first snipe with her rifle. That was the easy part, as it gave her time to get a good first shot. It was during the pitch of battle that it was a little more tricky. She found it easier to focus on the enemies that weren't in the thick of the fight, like the ever-so-irritating Heal Dogoos. However, in other cases, she simply had to wait until it was her turn to get a clear shot.

Thomas was not helping matters for Uni, either. Uni was familiar with the fighting styles of everyone else in the party. It took her a while to remember how Plutia fought, but given how slow and methodical Plutia was, it wasn't difficult to know what she was doing. Thomas, on the other hand, was really quick with his attacks. They weren't really strong, at all, but they would come in at times Uni thought would be great for a clear shot. Thomas' Raster Interrupt skill felt more like an interruption for her than for the monsters, and she held off on the trigger long enough afterwards that someone else would finish the job.

Even though she would later figure out Thomas' interrupt attacks and act accordingly, it was frustrating for her. It was even more irritating that she was the only one being inconvenienced by this. After that one battle where she nearly pulled the trigger before Thomas intervened, Uni had enough.

"Hey, you!" Uni exclaimed after the battle ended and everyone resumed walking, pointing over at Thomas.

"U-uh, y-yeah?" Thomas sweatdropped, unsure of what Uni could be upset about. However, he did recover enough to get a little frustrated, "I have a name, you know."

"Huh?" Uni blinked, then realized she hadn't even referred to him by name even during their 'hello' last chapter, "Er, right. Sorry about that, Thomas." She then flinched, "Wait! I'm not done being angry yet!"

Thomas looked confused, as he thought things were going well, "D-did I do something wrong, Uni?"

"As a matter of fact," Uni said as she folded her arms, "Didn't I tell you to stay out of the way?"

"Yes, you did," Thomas recalled, but still didn't quite understand.

"But you haven't stayed out of the way," Uni said, as she held out her rifle, away from the both of them and the party, but enough to try and explain the issue. "Every time I am trying to finish off an enemy with a sniper shot, **someone** decides to jump right in the line of sight." She gestured the rifle as though she were aiming, and used her other arm to gesture down her scope. It was just another way for her to get the point across.

It took a moment for it to sink for Thomas. His eyes widened, and he looked genuinely frightened, feeling a little faint. Thankfully, he didn't outright collapse, but even Uni looked a little worried when she saw him react.

"I could've been shot?" Thomas asked in a quiet, panicked tone. He held a hand to his back, shivering a bit as his mind was probably thinking too much about it.

"Y-yeah. Lucky for you, I can keep myself composed and hold back when I had to!" Uni said, trying to get back into why she was frustrated, "It wouldn't be an issue if you weren't... doing whatever that move of yours was called!"

Thomas paused, and looked to Uni, "Oh! Th-that move?" He was so used to doing the move during battle. His frown deepened, "I-I am so sorry, Uni! I was so used to trying to interrupt an enemy's attack that I forgot about the gunner in the group."

"Yes, you did," Uni said, although her voice was wavering, "Although, to be fair to you, I probably should've either changed my target, or changed my position, perhaps hit the target on the flank instead of head-on." She moved a hand up to scratch a bit of her right cheek, "Maybe I need some better tactics." She sighed, "Great, now I'm doubting my own ability."

"No no, please do not have doubt in your ability, Uni," Thomas said, solemnly bowing a tad, "If anyone should be doubting their ability, it is myself. I am still a novice at all this." He continued, "If Nepgear holds you in such high regard, there must be good reason, right?"

"Huh? Of course!" Uni said, trying to get back her confidence, "It's due to my natural marksmanship and abilities as a hard-working CPU candidate!" While some other observer would say it might be due to other reasons as well, Thomas was slightly more oblivious to this. "I suspect her opinion may have some embellishments, though," Uni added.

"Maybe," Thomas muttered, "But she did save Gamindustri along with the rest of you, and she was the first CPU to save my life, so I believe her if she would speak so highly of you."

"Save your l-" Uni blinked a bit, "I don't remember you telling me this story whenever you visit Lastation."

"Eh, well, you never asked," Thomas said with a glance to his side, "And I only recently mentioned this to Nepgear." He muttered, "It's a long story, but I'll be sure to tell you when we have more time."

"I kinda wanna know now," Uni grimaced.

"Uh, a-anyway, back to the original topic," Thomas wanted to avoid retelling that backstory, "I should probably do some change of tactics, myself, especially if you want to take a shot."

"I'm listening," Uni refocused on the task, waiting while still holding her rifle.

"Well, since I usually attack a weak enemy when it's ready to use a skill or attack, and my attack doesn't inflict much damage," Thomas said, admitting his STR stat is still quite low, "I could maybe do some sidestep or leap backwards for you to get the final shot."

Uni pondered a second, "You're saying you'll back off quickly after using that interrupt skill on the off-chance I may fire on it?"

Thomas weakly laughed, "Perhaps I am a bit hopeful of that, but I have been meaning to make use of my ever-growing agility. Hit and run, I guess?"

"Agility, huh?" Uni continued to think about how this would work.

"I may not be good at jumping, but if I could move or bounce back from an attack, would it give enough room for your clear shot?" Thomas asked, hoping this would help. It would also give him reason to flee after an attack, since he didn't want to be in the thick of things, lest he had to endure another beating. Or worse, more Nep Bulls to drink. He could still remember the lingering aftertaste, and the stomach pain.

Uni turned to hold the rifle as though she were aiming at something, as she tried to imagine the scenario. Eventually, she said quietly to Thomas, "Only if you move back and to the left."

"The left?" Thomas wasn't quite sure of what Uni meant.

Uni sighed a little, "Yeah. Look at how I'm aiming." She aimed down her rifle at some random background foliage, "I'm aiming from the right side of my body. It'll be easier for me to focus my aim then."

"Alright," Thomas said while paying attention to how Uni's aiming.

Uni ahemed, "If this goes well, you'll see just what I can do on the battlefield." She lifted her rifle up, "You better pay attention to what's around you, you know, not just the monsters we're fighting."

"You're right," Thomas said with another bow of his head, "I, I apologize, miss, I mean, I'm sorry, Uni."

Uni shook her head, saying quietly, "J-just be more aware of your surroundings next time, okay? I am sure we'll both work this out."

Thomas kept his head bowed for another moment, to which Uni winced, "You can stop with the bowing already. Geez, you're not even from Lastation. Not anymore, anyway."

Before Thomas could add more to the conversation, the two were interrupted by Nepgear, who popped in to check on the two who were lagging behind, "Still back here, Uni?"

"Oh, hey Nepgear," Uni blinked at her friend, "Something the matter?"

"I was actually going to ask you two that," Nepgear stated, gesturing behind her to the group, who were pretty far off, "You do not want to keep the others waiting, right?"

"You're right, we should hurry and catch up," Thomas stated quickly, before saying to Nepgear, "By the way, I guess you're not the only one who gets told how to fight by the party's gunner here."

"Oh?" Nepgear smiled, "Did Uni offer some advice? That's so sweet of her!"

"I wasn't advising, I was lecturing!" Uni complained, "Damn newbies keep getting in the line of sight."

"The point is, you're already helping out, Uni!" Nepgear beamed, "I knew you'd be of great help!"

"Stop trying to compliment me so damn much," Uni continued to complain, even as her cheeks reddened. Thomas was just happy to get out of the conversation and rush back to the group. Meanwhile, Uni just felt a little embarrassed as once again Nepgear was heaping praise on her. Admittedly, however, she didn't really hate the praise.

* * *

It was not long until Uni and Thomas were to put their tactics to the test. Speaking of test, the group had to encounter a giant monster near the end of their journey before Parap Station. The group was a little surprised by the appearance of a large-sized Chocopi. Actually, it's more like a fat, er, I mean, hold on, 'Stuffed Chocopi' as it's named. Really? Um, okay?

"It certainly looks pretty stuffed," Neptune quipped, as she brought out her katana, being on guard for a moment. The Stuffed Chocopi was sitting on its large rear in the middle of the dirt path, laying about rather lazily. Only when it caught a whiff of some nearby people did it stir from its seat, though it was still sitting down.

"Are you sure you want to ride one of these things?" Plutia asked, recalling an earlier conversation.

"I don't think it wants to do much walking," Blanc noted, "Or anything."

"If that's all, I guess that means we can just skip this fight by going around it!" Neptune cheerily said. In her mind, she was probably hoping this wouldn't raise a flag for a boss fight.

Unfortunately, the Chocopi had other ideas. It squawked rather loudly, calling on a group of smaller Chocopis to gather, taking to the skies and began circling the group. Every now and then, another Chocopi flew in from afar to join the flock.

"I don't think it's going to be that easy to just walk by now," IF said to Neptune, as the party started to huddle around themselves, drawing their weapons.

The Stuffed Chocopi continued to squawk, as it finally got off its butt and stood in the party's way down the path. It then turned its glare at the group, looking rather unfriendly.

"I guess some monsters just don't care who or what it is, they gotta fight," Neptune shook her head, "Oh well, their loss!"

"Those things above us aren't going to stay there for long," Blanc noted, "Maybe we could transform and take them out in the air?"

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," Thomas muttered in a bit of sarcasm, "Meanwhile, the rest of us have to deal with a giant bird."

"I'll take care of this!" Uni proclaimed while bringing out her rifle, "I'll handle the fliers, you go after that big chicken."

"We'll help too!" Rom exclaimed, "Me and Ram can use our magic on the flying ones!"

"We will? Yeah, sure, whatever!" Ram said, "I'll help Uni out if it'll make this fight easier."

"Fine," Blanc said, "Uzume, Neptune, Nepgear, Plutia, you're with me. We'll take on the big bird. The rest of you, keep Uni and the others safe while they keep those up in the sky off our backs."

"We'll guard you guys from the smaller pests," IF said, "Just make sure that stuffed bird doesn't get close."

"That thing can move?" Neptune asked, soft of jokingly, but given it was already taken a few steps towards them, it looked capable of moving.

Nepgear looked a bit nervous as she held her saber, "Be careful, everyone."

As Blanc led her team of CPUs to meet with the giant bird, IF looked to Compa. The two nodded, going into their stances.

Meanwhile, Ram poked Thomas, "Hey Tom, stay behind us and do that meditation thingy!"

Thomas blinked at the poke, but nodded, "Sure, it might help out here."

Uni had no time to wonder about what Ram and Thomas were talking about, as she held her rifle up and waited to see which of those birds would dive down first. Her plan was to defeat any diving bird, and maybe discourage the others from joining. Hopefully with this plan, they can beat this fight without needing to transform. This narrator here has some doubt.

"Less talky, more smashy," Uzume announced, even as the Stuffed Chocopi met with Blanc's group and loudly sqawked right at them.

"She said **less** , damnit!" Blanc was not going to be defensive here. She immediately swung her hammer right at the squawking Chocopi's beak, hitting it squarely on the side. The Chocopi stumbled on its large feet, reeling from Blanc's attack, before balancing itself and trying to swipe its beak at Blanc. Blanc was prepared for this, and held her hammer out to parry and push the bird away a bit.

The Stuffed Chocopi decided to hop back, as the group felt the ground shake a bit. Eventually, the Chocopi made use of this by doing a surprisingly high jump, flapping its little wings to keep some flight, before trying to crash down on Nepgear. The CPU candidate eeped, and was quick enough to make a sidestep away from the crash. Despite this, the resulting quake stunned the nearby CPUs for a few seconds. Luckily, the bird was too slow to capitalize on the stun.

"Daah, of course it would have such an attack!" Neptune grumbled, and tried to get back on her feet, as the Chocopi fluttered its wings, and the cheeks on its face bulged. Neptune's eyes widened, as she saw the Chocopi open its large beak and spewed out a robotic limb at her. Neptune slashed her katana at the right time to bat away the limb.

"Eww, gross," Plutia commented, gripping her plushie tightly, "We're not little birdies! Stop trying to feed us your food!"

"It might explain the lack of any robots around this area," Nepgear grimaced.

Uzume and Blanc finally regained enough balance to launch a joint attack. Uzume went for the bird's rather plump tummy with a couple of punches, while Blanc tried again for another smack on the beak. The Chocopi may have been a little slow, and wasn't keen on dodging the blows. However, it seemed to just take the minimal damage while standing its ground, waiting for the attack to finish before swiping with its beak, this time surprising the two as it quickly lunged at them. They just barely managed to leap back from the swipe.

"This thing's a lot more resilient than its smaller counterparts," Blanc scowled, "We'll have to chip away at it somehow."

The Chocopi puffed its chest to indicate it wasn't going to back down, before trying to do another crazy move, this time leaping back and trying to do a back kick at Plutia, again stretching out with its legs to get a better reach. Plutia instinctively held out her plushie in defense, letting it take the brunt of the blow. However, just as the Chocopi landed, another quake startled the goddess, and the Chocopi was now ready to turn around and swipe its beak at her.

Nepgear was ready for this, as she jumped after the quake was going, unaffected by the stun effect, and lunged on her own with her saber down on the bird's beak, holding it away from Plutia. Nepgear pushed at the bird, which had to hop back to regain its stance.

"N-Neppy Junior!" Plutia exclaimed in a bit of surprise, "Thank you!"

Nepgear smiled a bit to Plutia, before turning her head to the Stuffed Chocopi, "We might have to transform for this fight after all."

"Uh huh, it's getting me angry," Plutia said with a frown, as the group circled around the bird for the next round of combat.

Meanwhile, back with the others, IF and Compa were busy batting away or shooing any diving birds, with IF throwing a few of her spare kunai to help with some ranged attacks. Uni, meanwhile, got comfortable as she focused on sniping. While she wanted to turn around and shoot the Stuffed Chocopi any time it attacked the other group, Uni remained focused.

Uni mentally noted her calculations as she saw one bird start to come down, slowly getting her aim and readying her shot. While she was doing that, Thomas took some breaths to calm down and began his G. Meditation skill, while Rom and Ram started using their magic spells to throw at the enemy. While Rom stuck with using ice spells, Ram seemed eager to cook many of the birds with fire.

Uni blinked, with the bird still far off on her scope, as she felt something odd, "What the hell?" She muttered this quietly as she looked around her. She felt like there was a sudden increase in shares, but that didn't make much sense. As she looked, she saw both Rom and Ram throw some rather potent spells up in the air, scaring away several birds. Ram laughed, almost cackling as her spell helped create a nice, big explosion in the sky. She might be enjoying it a bit too much.

Uni was still confused by this, before noticing that even her SP has gone up a little. While she was thinking, Thomas held out his blade and joined with IF and Compa, before Uni wondered, "Did he-" She shook her head, disbelieving, but she could feel a brief boost in stats. She thought for a moment before refocusing on the bird she was aiming at, "Only one way to be sure."

Holding her gun, Uni called on one of special SP skill to give her next shot and extra status effect. Paralysis Shot would be useful in bringing down her target. She also has had enough experience to know how hard-hitting it would be. She steadied her aim, held her breath briefly, and pulled the trigger.

The shot was dead-on, as expected from her firing accuracy. Her eyes widened as she noticed a substantial increase in damage, allowing her to actually score a one-hit kill on the diving Chocopi. "I'll be damned," Uni said to herself, surprised by the increase. Whatever Thomas did, she probably thought, it also boosted her, being an area of effect skill.

She quickly shook her head, "Focus, Uni, focus!" Uni muttered, before deciding to make the most of this boost, and aimed upwards at the remaining birds in the sky, "Let's see if this will work too."

The circling Chocopis continued to fly around, looking for a spot to dive in. However, just before one could make such a move, they could hear someone shouting from below:

 **"EX Multi Blaster!"**

Although the prior spells scared off a few of their colleagues, the rather large laser firing from below spooked even more of them, as one of the birds was quickly vaporized. With that, the birds quickly lost whatever eagerness they had for this fight, and flew off in various directions, namely away from the fight below.

"Holy crap, Uni," IF exclaimed as the birds fly off, "That was quite a shot there."

"Uhhh, I guess I miscalculated my own strength," Uni said as she brought down her rifle, feeling a bit silly for that. The boost worked a little too well, it seemed. Ram thought so too, as she quickly hopped up beside her and stared right at her.

"It's the boost, isn't it?" Ram said with a devilish grin.

Before Uni could respond, though, Thomas pivoted from his defensive position, and jogged past the two, "Come on! We gotta help the others with that monster while we're still able!"

Uni watched him continue on, as her mind went over what had happened. She then called out, "Thomas!"

Thomas paused, turning his head to glance at Uni, "Hmm?"

"Remember what we talked about?" Uni said as she lifted her rifle back up and began moving towards the other group, "Let's get that shot ready."

"Ah, y-yeah," Thomas nodded, "Let's do that."

Back at the other side, Neptune, now transformed into her CPU form, found herself pulling her blade away from a grabby Stuffed Chocopi, which looked eager to add sword-eating to its list of talents.

"No, you are **not** eating my one of a kind weapon!" Purple Heart scolded the bird, "Do you know how many credits it would take to replace one of these things? We can't afford to design a new weapons model! Think of the precious budget!"

Eventually the struggle ended when Neptune yanked her sword away from the Chocopi's beak, and gave the bird a good kick. Although the kick did knock the bird back a while back, Neptune was pushed in the opposite direction, barely able to stand afterwards.

Thomas ran into a good, open position in the group, and watched the Chocopi carefully. He waited until he was certain he could briefly stun the large creature. He made a few motions to the nearby Uzume and Blanc to give some room, as though he really had a plan. It wasn't much of a plan, and it wasn't really his, but he had a strange feeling that it would work.

As the bird looked ready to try to jump and do another large quake, Thomas shouted, **"Ready!"** He made a quick dash, and lunged with surprising speed at the bird, catching it off-guard with his Raster Interrupt. As that was happened, Uni was far behind, aiming her rifle right at the giant bird. The attack again didn't inflict much damage, but prevented the Chocopi from finishing its move, wobbling on its feet.

Thomas immediately saw the attack worked, and just as quickly stepped back, before trying to leap back and to the left, just as Uni wanted. He gave just enough of a wide berth for Uni to get a square shot.

"Good," Uni muttered, before she called on all she could, **"EX Multi Blaster! Empress mode!"**

The more potent version of her XMB skill, complete with the boost she was still having, led to Uni barely holding her rifle's recoil, with a fairly large laser beam shooting out, past Thomas, and straight through the Chocopi. On its own, it wouldn't have killed the beast, but with the damage the CPUs inflicted earlier, it was enough to vaporize it, leaving behind a good amount of credits and some monster loot.

The beam caused quite a bit of smoke in its path. When it finally cleared, a transformed Plutia looked rather disappointed, seeing that there was no monster to punish.

Iris Heart sighed, "And I was just about to unleash some of my frustrations too. That's too bad. Oh well! At least I have a backup plan. Ne-"

Iris Heart blinked, seeing a small outline indicating a missing Nepgear, and turned to see her checking on IF and Compa, "There goes that idea. Very well, I shall go play with Uz-"

Uzume was also missing from where Iris Heart saw her originally, also joining with IF and Compa. Iris Heart smiled, slightly bothered, "Perhaps I shall go play with this dimension's Blanc. Oh Bl-"

Iris Heart turned to see Blanc meeting with her little sisters, and even Neptune was out hanging out with them. Iris Heart twitched an eyebrow, "That puts a damper on things. Alright, Plutia. There's at least one more option. Surely, perhaps even Tommy can offer some-"

Iris Heart eventually looked over to see Thomas looking rather pale, having been right close to giant laser beam, and saw Uni head over to check on him. Iris Heart frowned, and put her weapon away, "Oh, forget it. I'll just take my frustrations out on the nearest mobs. Besides, at least everyone's alright. Just remember not to get lost once I'm done." She laughed a little before heading off.

Uni walked over to check on Thomas after the battle, looking at the rather frightened man.

"Th-that's a big laser," Thomas said the obvious, as he was feeling a little faint.

"So it was!" Uni nodded, looking at where the monster once was, "This is one of my skills as a CPU candidate. If you're smart enough, you won't be a smoldering carcass when I fire!"

"Guh~!" Thomas flinched, thinking that now he had another thing to worry about.

Uni winced, "I was only joking! Really! I'm not gonna shoot you in the back."

Thomas could only shake a little, "Really?"

"Yeah, really!" Uni flustered, "Besides, it wouldn't be very good to hurt a f-fellow teammate." Uni cleared her throat, "Just make sure you know what your teammates are doing, you know?"

"Ah, o-okay," Thomas said, regaining a little color to his complexion, "But really, thanks, Uni."

"Yeah yeah," Uni tried to play off it, as she finally put her rifle away. She then hummed quietly, "So, that was what that boost does, huh?"

"Huh?" Thomas took a moment, before figuring out what she just asked, "Yes, it gives a boost to CPUs, I guess. I don't really understand it, myself."

Uni blinked at Thomas' answer, as she didn't really mean for him to hear it. She mildly shrugged, "I'll keep that in mind. Looks like I might rely a little more on you, after all. F-for support, anyway!"

Thomas nodded slowly, muttering, "Er, aye-aye, sir?"

"I can't hear you," Uni said quietly, unsure what he said.

"Uh, sir, yes, sir!" Thomas stood more at attention to answer.

Uni was surprised by this sight, and soon she started laughing, "Geez, I just didn't hear you a moment, there. But I am glad to see you're paying attention, soldier. Pffft."

"Eheh, right," Thomas sweatdropped.

He still hasn't learned. He really should stop muttering to himself.


	36. ACT III: A Voice In A Dream

**("Author here, not with much of an update. I'm just slowly going through this Act. Right now, things are going fine, but I'm leaving this as a little warning just in case I do hit a wall and end up slowing down in content updates. Of course, if you are the close-to-100 people following this story, then no worries, since you'll be reminded when it does update, I'm sure. Seriously, though, near 100 people. I'm gonna have to keep looking over my shoulder!**

 **Anyway, things will go slowly. This story is already big, but I'm not planning some War and Peace epic here. I've seen the big fanfic numbers here. Not gonna try it! Still, I want to take it easy here. In any case, I try to have my chapters meet a certain length, so they're not too big or too small for readers. That's the hope, anyway.**

 **Thomas' backstory is, of course, going to be further explored. There's already a few bits here and there sprinkled in earlier chapters. I'm hoping this will further flesh out this OC and explain some of his attitudes. We'll see if that will make him more or less likable. Crossing my fingers.**

 **Finally, appreciate all the feedback so far and in the future, even the ones telling me when I do bad. I want to improve, and it is thanks to you all that I'll have the chance to. All while reading this silly story I wrote! Again, my humble thanks." - An author with maybe less ambition than Blanc. "And then a boat capsized into my fanfic...")**

* * *

With the fight over, the pathway to Parap Station lay clear for the party to continue uninterrupted. Plutia rejoined the party a few moments later after what she called a break, and no one was going to further inquire on that.

Uni, much to her mild embarrassment, received some compliments care of the other CPUs after her role in the battle. Neptune called her the "MVCPU", whatever the hell that meant. Uzume was amazed by how cool the laser looked. Blanc was even kind enough to give her an approving nod.

Uni didn't mind occasionally boasting and trying to stand out, but to get that attention was a bit surprising. Not so much from Nepgear or Rom, but the others? It was a little odd. For her, one CPU she would've liked to compliment her the most, was her own sister, Noire. Unfortunately, Noire wasn't present to see this. Just her luck.

Meanwhile, Thomas took a few slow and deep breaths to calm down, as he felt his heart rapidly beating. He felt his poor heart getting quite the workout since this adventure began. He could only guess that if the enemies don't end up putting him down for the count, his body soon would. As he breathed slowly, Compa smiled a bit and walked beside him, handing him an item.

"Compa?" Thomas blinked, "Wh-"

"Don't tell me you forgot about it?" Compa said with pleading eyes, "Remember the Compa Charger from all the way back in Haneda? I made some more!"

"Of course I remembered! The sweet medicine with a bit of honey," Thomas recalled, "It was very nice of you to make some more. I was saying where do you manage to know right away about my fatigue?"

Compa giggled, "I'm pretty sure that heavy breathing was a big giveaway. I'm glad you did remember. Maybe I should've offered some to you after that battle in Lowee?"

"Eheh," Thomas laughed meekly, holding the medicine with him, "I wasn't even doing the heavy lifting." He looked over at Uni's direction, seeing the CPU candidate talk a little more with a gushing Uzume, "They're the ones exerting all that energy to defeat the bad guys. I feel like I'm getting tired just by meditating."

"When you put it like that," Compa said, "It does seem really silly."

Thomas developed a sullen look on his face, "That's assuring me for the future."

"You did say you were new to all of this adventuring and fighting," Compa noted, "Perhaps your body is still adjusting."

Thomas shook his head, "I-It's not just that." He then glanced around him to make sure he wasn't going to be overheard. Although it wasn't going to bother him too much if he was, he would like to keep it to a small number of people. "Uh, Compa?" Thomas said quietly, "Can you keep what I'm about to say next between the two of us?"

"A, a secret?" Compa's eyes widened a little, before she closed her eyes, "I'll definitely try! As a nurse, I've got to remember patient confidentiality!"

"That's good," Thomas said with a slow nod, "This is a bit of a medical issue anyway... I think."

"Oh!" Compa phewed a little. For a moment, her mind rushed to all sorts of strange ideas and possibilities that Thomas may have said as a secret. She then paused again, "You **think** it's a medical issue?"

Thomas winced a little, again glancing around for any potential eavesdroppers. He then whispered, "Yeah, I am not too sure, but maybe you know what it is."

"Oh, sorry Tom-Tom! I'll whisper really quiet-like!" Compa said, as her whisper was still only a little quieter than her normal voice.

Thomas sweatdropped, but figured he'd talk about it anyway, "Right. Anyway, Compa, I have been feeling restless since we've been on this adventure."

Compa nodded, taking some of the information, "That sounds normal so far."

"By that, I mean, feel, restless," Thomas emphasized the word **feel** in that sentence. "I had some trouble sleeping, but the few times I have slept well, I don't feel like I have slept enough. There's this constant feeling of fatigue that no amount of sleeping is fixing."

Compa hummed softly, before saying more quietly, "Well, I can't say for certain what that could mean. I'm not a doctor. However, I can say it could either be a lack of minerals, or a lack of exercise, or something psychological."

"Like stress, huh?" Thomas murmured. Compa slowly nodded, before Thomas continued, "I guess it could be any of those things. Still..."

"Is something else bothering you?" Compa asked.

Thomas nodded, "It's just, lately I have been having these odd dreams. At least, I think I have. I get the lingering feeling that I dreamed something, but can't remember much."

Compa stayed quiet a moment, as Thomas continued, "I've been getting that feeling at about the same time I've been getting restless too, so I thought it might be somewhat related."

"Do you remember anything at all from these dreams?" Compa asked, growing more curious, "Anything at all?"

Thomas closed his eyes, trying to think, "Well, let's see. I do recall hearing, I recall hearing something. Actually, I recall hearing some **one**." As he struggled to recall, Compa grew more concerned, but was hesitant to say anything. Thomas eventually shook his head, "I don't remember any words said, sorry. The voice was familiar but I couldn't pin it down on anyone. Being a little tone deaf doesn't help in that department."

The nurse hummed a little, "I don't have anything to help there, I'm afraid. Not yet, anyway. I'll go look into what you've told me so far when I have the opportunity to. Maybe I can find something then." Compa bowed her head, "I'm sorry I couldn't help there."

Thomas smiled meekly, "It's okay, Compa. I'm just glad to be able to talk to someone about it, at least without getting everyone else involved and worried."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it between us," Compa got back to smiling, trying to cheer Thomas up, "In the meantime, I do have some orders for you, at least to combat the fatigue!"

"I'm all ears," Thomas said, returning the conversation to a normal volume, "What is our medical expert prescribing?"

Compa beamed, "Eheh, I would've suggested more exercise, but I think we're getting plenty of that." Thomas nodded in agreement, before Compa went to the next suggestion, "You eat a lot of fish, right?"

"I don't fish merely for sport," Thomas said of his hobby, "But I have been feeling like I haven't eaten much of it in a while."

"Eating some fish might help," Compa suggested, "The fish have some oil and acids that can help with that sleepy problem." She then giggled, "I have one last suggestion. Can you guess the last one?"

"Uhhhhhh," Thomas blinked, looking a little puzzled.

"Staying hydrated, silly!" Compa teased him, "You need to drink plenty of water! And liquids! For example, that medicine you're holding!"

"Oops!" Thomas realized, and held the bottle up, "Right, of course! This'll help. Er, bottoms up?" He went to take a good swig of the drink, and finished with a phew, "Maybe I shouldn't drink that so quickly." He cleared his throat, "My mistake. No mistake in this being delicious, though. Thanks, again, Compa."

"No problem, Tom-Tom!" Compa said cheerily, "We're all here to support one another, after all!"

Thomas smiled a little, as telling someone of his recent fatigue problems has put a little ease on his mind.

Compa, meanwhile, had something else on her mind.

* * *

After a while of walking down the path, Uzume returned back to the front row once she was done gushing over how cool some of the juniors were during the last battle. Laser beams and magic fireworks made for an interesting combination, or at the least gave her a pretty light show. Of course, Uzume felt a little pressure to step up her game, as she wasn't going to sit back and let the candidates steal the spotlight. Still, she was happy to see the younger generation of CPUs doing their best.

"You look to be in good spirits!" Uzume heard Compa's voice snap her from her thoughts, and she looked over to see the nurse walking up beside her. She was surprised by Compa checking up on her, but Uzume didn't seem mind the visit, all the same.

"Hey, Compsy!" Uzume grinned, "Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good so far." She clenched one fist while getting her other hand around it, "We've almost got everyone together against this crisis. I'm already pumped for when we get to take on whatever Unisy said forced them out of Lastation."

"I'm glad to see that!" Compa smiled to Uzume, and tilted her head, "And you're doing well on the whole, too?"

Uzume tittered, "Compsy, I'm physically and mentally doing well. I don't think I need a check-up at this time, though I thank you all the same for asking!"

Compa hummed softly, "I guess you're right. Honestly, I came here to ask you something . Mind if we chat a bit?"

Uzume shrugged a little, "No, not at all! Is something bothering you?"

Compa shook her head, "Not really sure. I just wanted to check up on something and thought I'd ask. It's a bit of a personal question, though, so if you don't wanna answer-"

"Compsy, it's fine," Uzume interrupted, assuring her, "Besides, I can't answer a question unless it's been asked first. Don't leave me hanging."

"O-okay!" Compa was a bit excited, if only because Uzume hyped her up, "It's about that dreaming ability you had."

"Oh! Going that far back, huh?" Uzume tilted her head a little at this.

We pause this conversation to explain a little backstory, and may have some spoilers from a previous game. Seriously, go play it if you haven't. Anyway, Uzume here is an old goddess of the nation of Planeptune in this dimension. During her time, she had an incredibly powerful ability to make her dreams into reality. Now, this might be a cool superpower to have, and it has been used as a nice plot device when the situation arose.

However, a power like this was hard to control, and could, and has, led to some dire consequences. This was not even mentioning that such a power could also be used for evil purposes! Such a thing could make for a really bad ending for everyone in Gamindustri, to say the least! Sadly for our orange CPU, her power was too much for her to control properly, and so an effort was made to save Gamindustri and... seriously, play that game to find out more. Or wait until Uzume finally tells Thomas this story, if she ever gets around to it.

Alright, back to it, Compa nodded, "Yeah, I knew it was a very powerful ability. I was wondering if you still have that ability."

Uzume shook her head, "Nah, ever since I came back, I haven't got any of that ability back. Can't look into dreams, can't affect them, can't make them a reality, nothing at all. Histy was adamant in looking me over in some weird examination. Believe me, if I still had that daydreaming power, I would've definitely used it by now."

"So, do you have any normal dreams when you sleep, then?" Compa asked, "I know you still daydream."

Uzume laughed nervously, "Eheh, the less said about that, the better. I still feel a bit embarrassed doing that now and then." Her old cutesy personality broke through on more than one occasion so far this adventure. Uzume spoke again, "But yeah, I just get ordinary dreams when I sleep now. Nothing really weird or anything to indicate me manipulating reality there. It, it's actually nice to have just plain old dreams, you know?"

Compa closed her eyes in thought, though kept her cheery expression, "Any particularly good dreams you like to share?"

"Hmmm," Uzume took a moment to think about what sort of dreams she had, "Nothing really out there. I was just happy to have some of the common kind of dreams. I dreamed of flying the skies over Gamindustri, but in human form." She shrugged, "Looks like I'm gonna have to dream up big next time!"

Compa giggled a little, "You don't have to do that on my account."

Uzume smirked, "Oh, but I take these challenges very seriously!" She then hrmed, "Anyway, that's all I got to say on that front. Any particular reason you're asking this, Compa?"

Compa opened her eyes, shaking her head, "I was just thinking of some things. Curiosity, I guess."

Uzume stretched her arms, "Ah, well, no worries here. Although, now I kind of want to go for a little nap." Uzume held back a yawn.

"Oops! Sorry!" Compa exclaimed in a joking manner.

Uzume scratched her left cheek, "Eheh, I better not get too sleepy. We already have one Plutia in the party."

The two paused a moment to look away, checking to see if Plutia overheard that. Plutia briefly looked puzzled, but soon was back to lazily walking in the back row, holding back another yawn.

"I dunno," Compa thought about it as she looked back to Uzume, "I think your hair might look nice braided like that. And the pajama look might work." She then beamed, "Maybe you can have a little Umio plushie too."

Uzume was initially a bit flushed thinking about the sleepy look, before she froze, "G-!" She quickly closed her eyes and fidgeted, "No fair. Uzume totally wants an Umio plushie now." Even though she strained her voice, Compa could pick up the higher pitch.

"I really should stop giving you more ideas," Compa lamented, though she was enjoying Uzume's reactions. The CPU held her hands together and tried so hard not to give in, acting not too much unlike a certain CPU candidate when she was feeling the pressure to do something.

While she enjoyed the reactions, the back of her mind made mental note of what Uzume told her. Perhaps Thomas was just under some stress. Still, Compa could not help but wonder if there was something to all of this.

* * *

The party finally reached the end of the path to Parap Station. The area was not too large, and only had a few houses and farming crops nearby. Uni moved up to the front of the group so she could get a better look around.

Uni turned to look to Neptune and Blanc, who were taking point in the group, "Last time we communicated, the people said they set up a small camp close to the subway entrance. We should head there first."

"Alright, Noire Junior!" Neptune said as she pumped her fists up, "Since this is your side quest, you take the helm!"

"Uh, s-sure," Uni said, not sure if that's something to get excited about, "Just keep your eyes open for anything." She said this, even as she was surveying much of the area herself.

"It shouldn't take us too long, then. The camp is right where Uni said," Blanc stated, as she gestured a loose sleeve of her jacket near the end of the path. Sure enough, they could make out a small camp, similar to the ones that were in Lowee, though only a few cots and tents, enough for four to five people. Most of the cots were already taken, as one man stood alone near the subway entrance. The entrance was a simple staircase heading down underground, and the man posted was standing by, keeping an eye down the stairs.

However, he soon noticed the group of people walking towards the camp, and turn about to face them, "Halt." He gave a simple order in a gruff voice, and walked over towards them, though still keeping a glance towards the entrance, "It is very dangerous to be here right now. The subway's not working, in any case, and this barrier has made it impossible to reach Lastation. By order of Lastation, I ask that you redirect yourselves elsewhere."

Uni frowned a bit, before raising her voice and stamping her foot down, "Lieutenant! I expected you to remember who you talked to before leaving for here!"

The man bit his lower lip, before turning more of his head away from the entrance to see an offended CPU candidate, "A-ah! Lady Uni! My apologies! I was told to expect you from HQ, but I did not expect this many re-" He paused, slowly examining the group, "in... force... ments?"

The man took a moment to look at the people in the group. He was decked in military gear, complete with camo, helmet, and goggles, among other things. The man was notably tall, well over six feet. In comparison, Thomas might be tall, but he was easily below the man's chin, if he went up to him for a quick measurement. Also, while Thomas was tall, he was rather thin. The man, even without some of the hardware he carried, was noticeably more muscled. In other words, this man was physically a whole lot stronger.

The man scratched his chin with a free hand, as the stubble of facial hair was a little itchy. He finally spoke, pleasantly surprised, "Interesting. The CPUs of Planeptune and Lowee are here too?"

"Oh, you know," Neptune chimed in with her cheery tone, "We were just in the neighborhood and thought we'd stop by, say hello, beat up some robots, you know the deal." She paused, "Wait, you recognized us?"

"Of course, Lady Neptune" the man grinned, forgetting briefly about his not noticing Uni earlier, "It is an honor to finally meet with such a powerful fighter such as yourself."

Neptune perked up, "Ah! It's good to be acknowledged and recognized! I mean, I'm the most recognizable face of this franchise, but it's good that you didn't even confuse me with my little sister!"

The man nodded, even gesturing correctly to a bewildered Neptune and a nonplussed Blanc, "I can see that she is here too, as well as the goddess of Lowee. This is quite a boon for all us. Three of Gamindustri's strongest guardians here in one spot. I am truly honored to be in your presence."

"Don't get too excited, Neptune," Uni said as she was still a little irritated, "One of the new policies of our armed forces was to make sure our soldiers knew and recognized each goddess."

"I guess that means I can no longer afford an incognito visit to Lastation," lamented Blanc in a quiet murmur to herself.

"The soldiers are more likely to recognize you now," Uni said, "not everyone. It was designed so our forces can cooperate more with the goddesses." She then sighed, "Though even then, it sometimes doesn't work. Isn't that right, Lieutenant?"

"Well, uh," the man winced a little, "That really was just one time."

Uni narrowed her eyes, "More than once. I'm not a freakin' kid. I can't believe when I even briefed you earlier on this mission that you thought I was someone's child."

Thomas sweatdropped, recalling when she didn't recognize Neptune at first and noting the similarity. Meanwhile, the man sighed, with Uni grumbled, "You recognized the others quickly..."

The man tried to change the subject, "Excuse me, but I might as well introduce myself to your group before we get into what's happening here." He cleared his throat, "Lieutenant Gabriel of the Lastation Strategic Network, reporting. If you wish for nicknames, I suppose Gabe will suffice."

"Strange name for a military force?" Blanc asked, not quite sure, "Never heard of it."

"I did not come up with the name, lady White Heart," the soldier said, "But I will note that it is a more recent addition to Lastation's armed forces. After the events involving security leaks, delusional monsters, the CPU shift period, and others, Lastation created this agency. Its mission is to prepare Lastation for situations that may arise."

"Such as a robot incursion or a giant firewall?" IF raised an eyebrow.

"Truth be told, I doubt my superiors thought about a giant firewall dropping on Gamindustri," Gabriel answered, "An incursion might've been anticipated, but I was in Lastation when it happened, and I doubt they were prepared for such numbers."

"The LSN has managed to help out during this," Uni added, "We just tweaked a few things from a contingency plan in the event Lastation was taken over from the inside."

"Correct," Gabriel then took a few steps back, still glancing to the entrance, "Our group was tasked with securing this subway station, in the event the robots would attempt to go through the tunnels."

"Given that apparently the robots can fall back to other sealed-off regions," IF said, remembering how the robots retreated after Planeptune and Lowee were freed, "I assume this is to contain the threat to other places in Lastation."

The lieutenant nodded once more, pausing at the person speaking, "Affirmative. We made sure the few people living around here were safe, and set up camp here. Uh, apologies, but I do not recognize you."

IF grimaced, "Really? Uh, well, I'm from the Guild in Planeptune. Name's IF."

"Ah, a long-time ally of the goddesses, but of course," Gabriel said, seeming a little more dismissive than he was with the CPUs. IF simply made a polite nod to him.

"In any case, **Lieutenant** ," Uni ordered, "Report your status."

"Very well," Gabriel straightened himself up as he turned to the entrance, "Our men have secured around the entrance but have struggled getting further into the subway. The robots have laid obstacles in our path, leading to a few of my group being wounded."

"Wounded?" Compa's eyes widened, "Do you require any medical assistance. I'm Compa, a nurse from Planeptune."

Gabriel nodded, "We have a field medic within our ranks, but any assistance you may provide her would be greatly appreciated, miss. She is in the sole tent in our camp tending to the wounded."

Compa smiled, "I'm on it! Be right back, everyone!" She quickly ran off towards the tent, and went inside to tend to the wounded.

"We should wait for Compa to finish what she can before we proceed further," Nepgear said, to which no one objected. Plutia took this as reason to sit on the ground for a rest.

Neptune smirked, "Ah, so now these guys are laying down traps, huh? Don't you fret, Gaberoni, we'll go down there and clear that area! I'll have you know that I am very good at Minesweeper." She said this while taking a heroic pose, holding her hands on her hips, like this was an accomplishment.

"Tch," Blanc rolled her eyes, "Playing a Minesweeper is not in any way comparable."

"Actually," Gabriel said coldly, "It is comparable, as there are plenty of mines down there."

"Ha! See Blanc, I was totally ri-wha?" Neptune was briefly stunned by this, "Mines? Like, the ones on the ground that explode kind?"

"Affirmative," Gabriel said with a simple nod, taking it as a serious question, "They are not the floating in mid-air kind, or the proximity mines that someone stickied on the wall. At least as far as our group has surveyed so far. Thankfully we didn't suffer severe casualties, or a fatality." He grimaced at the notion.

"Oh, well, that makes it a little better, eheheh," Nepgear laughed nervously, "But seriously?"

"We'll have to be especially careful," Blanc stated, "We can't have mines in the subway on a popular transit route."

"We could quarantine the area," Gabriel suggested, "Not that the subway's open presently, but we could set up our own barriers, and make sure those robots don't come up here to set up more surprises."

"Why would they be setting up mines down there, anyway?" Uni wondered, "There has to be something down there they don't want anyone to see."

"That is what I thought, lady Uni," Gabriel said with a growl, "To use such a cowardly tactic, and to hide behind the safety of their barriers, irritates me to no end. If I ever get my hands on whoever did all of this..." He balled his free hand into a fist, visibly ready to punch anything nearby. Thankfully, no one was in range.

"We should check it out, then, and be very careful," IF said, "Although, I am not sure how we should clear the mines. Let's at least go down and check it out."

Uni sighed a little, "Sure wish Noire were here to offer some advice. But, for now, let's go with that plan. We'll take a moment to rest our feet before proceeding." She then looked to Gabriel, "Lieutenant, is it just you checking the entrance?"

"For the time being, yes," Gabriel answered, "I'm taking shifts with another person to keep an eye on it."

"I'm still pretty rested," Uni said, "Let me take watch until our group is ready to go."

"U-understood, lady Uni," Gabriel relinquished his spot, "I will check on our soldiers in the meantime."

"Good," Uni said, as she took out her submachine gun, "First robot that gets anywhere close to here gets my own personal greeting." She then looked to the others, "You guys rest up in the meantime."

"Allllllllllready on it!" Plutia said as she slumped down on the ground for a little rest and sky-watching. Uzume shrugged, and flopped down to the ground nearby to rest as well.

Rom fidgeted a little, "Maybe Ram and I should help with miss Compa and miss medic."

Blanc responded to her sister with a slightly glum expression, "Are you sure, Rom? The lieutenant said the wounds weren't serious, but it could still be gruesome."

Rom winced, "Oh!" She closed her eyes a moment before trying to be determined, "Then I'll try extra hard to be strong so I can do my healing magic!"

"Good response, Rom!" Ram said happily to her sister, "I personally don't mind the icky stuff, so it won't bother me to help out! But I'll be sure to help you out, sis!"

Rom smiled sheepishly, "Thanks, Ram. I'll do what I can!"

Thomas decided to sit down by some rocks to do some reading, while IF followed along with the twins to keep an eye on them, and to check on Compa's work.

Meanwhile, Nepgear slid up beside Uni and clasped her hands together, "Uh, Uni? I-is it okay if I help you out here, for a while? I'm not tired at all, so I should be plenty of help!"

Uni sighed, "I would tell you to get some rest anyway, but just this once, sure. Not that I need any help or anything."

Nepgear, happy to hear her friend agree, jumped a bit on the spot with a bright expression, giggling before taking a position near the entrance to help Uni with observing.

"I guess that leaves out you and me, Blanc," Neptune grinned, before saying, "By the way, since you're the tank of the group, I'm putting you on point when we go down there. You'll be able to clear those mines with your face, I'm sure!"

"Like hell I will!" Blanc angrily responded, "Think up another strategy, dumbass." She then grumbled, "I'm gonna go see what Tom's reading up on."

"Oooh, let's do that," Neptune said, "I'll go on the other side, and we can just look over his shoulders."

"I'd rather do that alone," Blanc muttered, before shaking her head and going, with Neptune bouncing behind.

"Odd group of individuals," Gabriel murmured to himself, "To think they faced some terrifying bosses and act like this... I should've become an adventurer."


	37. ACT III: Subway Mines

**("Just a quick hello from me, and thanks for the lovely feedback! Although I do not know some of the languages some of you may type, I do appreciate the thought, and am hoping online translation software will one day be not as cringe-inducing. Still, from what I can understand, there may be things I need to one day look upon. Suffice to say, I am sure this OC is not as original as the title suggests. I am totally shocked by this! Okay, maybe not. Still, neat to see comparisons!**

 **Also neat to see some people showing some more interest in this. I would like to address some of the things, but I shall bite my tongue. I do not wish to spoil more stuff. Regardless, happy to read what people think. Will it mean the story will improve? Uh, well, I hope so. Eheh." - An author who just bit his tongue. Owie.)**

* * *

"Whatcha reeeeadin'?"

The teasing voice of the purple-haired goof, I mean goddess known as Neptune was heard from Thomas' right ear, as she stood over and peeked at the pages.

Thomas was briefly startled by Neptune's sudden inquiry, turning his head up at her, "Oh! Uh, well, I am trying to get a better idea of how adventuring goes around here, so I am reading on some adventurers who went around Gamindustri. I'm hoping it'll help to research a little bit."

"Oh?" Neptune knelt down and leaned over to look in the book, forcing Thomas to lean back some more so she doesn't accidentally headbutt him.

"Neptune, give the man some space to read," Blanc said as she politely sat down on the other side.

"I don't think he minds me looking," Neptune beamed before turning her head a little to Thomas, "Do ya, Tommy?"

Neptune was clearly teasing both him and Blanc with this act, as her joyous face was awfully close. With Blanc turning to eye him, Thomas felt the pressure, reddening, "Uh, well..."

"I'm just messing with ya!" Neptune said as she pulled back enough to give him space, "As for the book, I recognize it! I'm sure Blanny here would know it too."

Blanc arched an eyebrow, "Really?" She glanced over to the cover, and blinked, "Huh. You're right, Neptune. I even have my own copy."

"Heh, naturally," Neptune nodded, as Thomas looked confused by what they were saying.

"Wait," Thomas looked to Neptune, pointing at the book, "You know the author?"

"Yep!" Neptune grinned, "She actually joined our party on more than one occasion."

Blanc hummed quietly, before responding, "Excellent choice, Tom. She's an excellent adventurer, and her books are pretty good."

Thomas looked back at the book, "I-is that so?"

Neptune sat herself down, stretching her arms as she leaned back on the rock the two were also resting on, "You betcha! I mean, this party's pretty big, but we've had quite the big roster in other adventures, too. It's important to have many strong and dependable people on your quest to save the world! Er, universe. Er, universes? Save the day! Yeah!"

"I guess with so many, you were bound to have one who would write these grand adventure novels," Thomas said while checking on the author's name: Falcom.

"She has had many adventures on her own," Blanc noted, "I have a couple in my inventory if you ever want to borrow."

"Uh, thank you, lady Blanc," Thomas nodded slowly, "I have a lot of books to go through as is, though."

"How many?" Blanc quickly asked.

"Uh, well, about fifty books total," Thomas said, not even looking in his inventory.

"Tch, lightweight," Blanc shook her head, "I've got about two hundred stored in the inventory, just in case."

"Well, I didn't bring out my entire library of books from home with me," Thomas lightly grumbled, "Not that I have access to a great library next door, or down the hallway."

"As much as I want to hear more about the size of your bookshelves," Neptune said with a roll of her eyes, "This talk does make me miss some of our friends."

Thomas looked down at the book again, "She does seem like a very good adventurer," talking of the author, "Though her luck with the sea sounds terrible. A real shame, too. I found the sea rather calming for the most part."

"Didn't you say long ago that the ship you used during your wandering around got wrecked too?" Neptune tried to recall the story from her own memory, "Seems you're one to talk."

"That happened the one and only time," Thomas muttered, "Also, it was a great mistake on my part. During that time, being anywhere near the Gamindustri Graveyard was just asking for trouble."

"In fairness to Tom here," Blanc stated, "Her luck really is bad with ships. I don't recall many sailors having that much bad luck, even losing all their items in the process."

"A resourceful person, all the same," Thomas said, his mind going deep into thought, "I assume those friends of yours are all strong in their own right, huh?"

Neptune smiled, "It's part of that whole teamwork and working together theme we got going. Even though some of them have their own flaws, they're all good."

Thomas had a faint smile. He went ahead and asked the following, "So, with all of your friends and adventurers, I am sure you've had a number of males join you on your quests, right?"

Blanc blinked, pausing to think about that question, as did Neptune. As Thomas thought the question was an easy-to-answer one, he was a little concerned as the two looked to be struggling.

"Does DLC count towards the total?" Neptune asked briefly, though both Thomas and Blanc narrowed their eyes at her, "Well, in that case, nope! It's been an all girl party for most, if not all of our adventures. If we're going by this continuity, you would be the first! Congrats for making that milestone!"

"You're kidding, right?" Thomas sweatdropped. He understood if the party were mostly females, given the CPUs and candidates make a good number, but to be the sole male entrant after so long? If Falcom's exploits are to be believed, and the CPUs do not seem to be disputing them, then that's quite a high bar to be an adventurer in Neptune's band of merry m-, er, mostly ladies.

"Don't feel pressure to outperform them," Blanc said to Thomas, "Last thing I want is to have to pull your ass out of trouble again."

"Just keep up the faith and that weird meditation thing going!" Neptune said, "I wanna see if my Neptune Break gets even more broken!"

"Don't give her that opportunity," Blanc joked, "All that power might corrupt her. She's already annoying enough as is."

"Do it!" Neptune gleefully said, "And you will complete your training as a disciple of the Nep side!"

"Part of me is rather curious," Thomas admitted, joining on the joking and feeling a little better.

"Figures," Blanc shook her head, "At least save some of that meditation move for the rest of us."

Thomas closed the book, meaning to put it away, "Okay, okay, I get it. This little amplifier will try and help out when he can. No pressure."

"Neptune," Blanc stated, "Try not to use that big move on a small mob. Who knows when we'll face another big monster or robot?"

"Aww," Neptune pouted, shaking her fists, "But how can I see how high my damage can get if it's not on some weak enemy? Don't you want to see 999,999,999,999 plus damage?"

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, as he even **heard** Neptune say the number aloud, "I don't think it boosts that much, Neptune."

"Ah, but I'll be planned for this!" Neptune rubbed her hands together, "It's quite simple! First, I'll have the other party members stack their buffs on me. That means you too, Tommy. Second, I'll spend a turn quaffing down all those booster potions we pick up on our journey! Third, we all use anything to bring down their defensive rating. Fourth, I'll transform into my CPU form. Fifth, I'll then change in-"

"Neptune, please," Thomas facepalmed, "That's overkill. There's experimenting, and then there's too much."

"Yeah, you're right," Neptune grinned, "I don't need to transform for that."

"Now look what you did," Blanc chided Thomas, "See what happens when you enable this kind of behavior?"

"I'm starting to understand more of what Histoire warned me about," Thomas said while looking over at Neptune, who was just laughing and enjoying the thoughts swimming through her head.

Although the conversation slowly petered out after that bit of silliness, Thomas did feel a little better. If anything, at least Neptune wasn't getting awfully close. Wait, was that a good thing? With Blanc watching? Probably.

* * *

"Hold on a moment," the lieutenant who greeted the group returned from his break, as Compa came back from checking on the wounded. "I have to check on something before letting you all go," the lieutenant, Gabriel, stated.

IF has a slight frown, as she followed behind him, making her to the rest of the party meeting around the entrance, "What seems to be the matter now? Aren't we all good to go?"

"It's not that simple," Gabriel said, "Forgive me, lady Uni, but I can't stand by while civilians may put their lives in danger."

"Civilians?" Uni asked, before shaking her head, "Get to the point, lieutenant."

"Aye," Gabriel nodded, before gesturing to three individuals, all neatly and conveniently lined up next to each other, "I do not recognize these people. Lady Uni, unless you have a good explanation, I can't permit them to follow. Even if it goes against your wishes."

"You think I would be so reckless?" Uni fumed.

Gabriel winced, "Lady Uni, please understand that I am doing this for safety reasons. Also, to cover my ass in the event that lady Noire finds out you've let a civilian into a dangerous area."

"Ah, the truth comes out," IF muttered under her breath.

Gabriel sighed, "Think of me what you will, but I must be certain of everyone involved. If something were to happen, I at least will be certain of who's in danger."

"Eh, let it be," Uzume finally spoke up, being one of the individuals Gabriel pointed out, "It's some silly formality. Besides, I want to re-introduce myself to as many people as possible!"

Gabriel turned to the fired-up CPU, tilting his head, "Go on, then. You two, afterwards." He pointed out to both Plutia and Thomas, "Just to get the formality over with."

Uzume, grinning from ear to ear, posed defiantly, trying to look as badass as possible as she cracked her knuckles, "Name's Uzume Tennouboshi! Also known as CPU Orange Heart of Planeptune! I was a CPU long ago, but now am back in action! What's up?"

There was a pause, as Uzume was anticipating a compliment for her attempt at being cool, or maybe a bit of awe hearing about a former CPU coming back. Instead, Gabriel hummed, "Another Planeptune CPU, huh? Alright." He looked to Neptune, "Can you say with certainty that her story's true?"

Uzume sweatdropped, though Neptune did answer, "Of course! This was who we revived after that last crisis with the delusional monsters."

Another pause, as the man turned to look at Uzume for a moment, "Hmmm. Very well, I will give this a pass." While Uzume was not sure how to feel, Gabriel turned over to the sleepy-eyed Plutia, "You're up next."

Plutia yawned briefly, as she introduced herself, "My name is Plutia. I am also from Planeptune, but I live in another dimension. So, yeah."

Unlike his reaction with Uzume, Gabriel froze a little, "P... You are Iris Heart, then?"

"Oh! Yeah, that's my CPU name, eheh," Plutia said as though she was forgetful. Maybe she was. It's hard to tell with someone like Plutia.

Gabriel tried to remain calm, but briefly let down his guard, "I have heard of the CPU of Planeptune in Ultradimension."

"Yep! That's me!" Plutia said simply, but soon was startled by the lieutenant's excited reaction.

"Amazing! I had heard from the reports about that crisis," Gabriel smirked, "And of the Planeptune CPU who was quite strong. It is rather unfortunate I won't be able to see this strength."

"Oh sure, believe she's telling the truth," Uzume crossed her arms, mumbling to herself.

"Oh?" Plutia seemed surprised by his being impressed, "Why not? Are you not following?"

"Unfortunately, no," Gabriel frowned, "Someone has to be here to keep an eye on things. Besides, your party seems large enough as is. Which brings me to you, sir." He turned over to a nervous Thomas.

"Uh, well, greetings, sir!" Thomas said nervously, as he felt put on the spot, "M-my name is Thomas. Thomas A-"

"I do not recognize that name," Gabriel admitted, once again interrupting Thomas before telling us that he had a last name. At least that's what I think it was. "What role do you play in this party, citizen? I do not sense much strength from you."

"Well, I, uh," Thomas stammered, feeling pressure to come up with something. Although he was fighting, sure, and doing some buffs, he wasn't really an adventurer.

"He's a wizard!" Neptune piped in with her answer, saying it with the usual cheery disposition.

"A what?" Both Thomas and Gabriel asked in a fit of confusion, though for different reasons.

"Yep! You're a wizard, Tommy," Neptune beamed, with the two men sweatdropping, "An interesting new kind of wizard!"

Thomas opened his mouth to interrupt, but Gabriel started first, "I'm sorry. What are you talking about?"

"A wizard capable of boosting CPU share energy! I mean, that is true, right, Tommy?" Neptune asked.

"Uh, well, I guess that is true," Thomas said quietly.

"Also, Ram? He's your pupil, right?" Neptune looked to the small CPU candidate, who was just hanging out with her sisters.

"Hmm? Oh yeah! He's my first pupil! I plan on being a powerful sage, so I gotta be a good teacher too! You don't want to stop a teacher's training, would you, mister?" Ram jumped up, exclaiming her intentions.

"As a representative of the Guild," IF added, "I shall take responsibility in making sure everyone's alright, Thomas included."

"Tommy's been with us since the start," Plutia noted, "I like him to stay."

"Same goes for me!" Uzume pumped up her fist, taking a guarded stance against Gabriel, even though she's not really going to fight.

"He's assisted us in a few close battles," Blanc said quietly, "I would like not to break that up."

"I agree!" Rom pouted.

Nepgear smiled meekly, "Looks like most of the CPUs agree, as do I. I promise to keep careful watch."

Compa beamed a bit, "I would like him to stay. Please, mister solider?"

Uni blinked at the odd amount of support, but eventually sighed, "I have noticed some of this support, lieutenant. Even if you feel otherwise, I don't think you'll be able to convince them otherwise."

Gabriel grimaced, and took a deep breath, exhaling in a quiet sigh, "It is alright, lady Uni. I do not understand, myself, about this magic nonsense. Still, I cannot say no to this." He glanced over to Thomas, "You are a lucky individual, mister Thomas, to see such strength in action."

Thomas winced a bit, as his view of what constituted luck was likely different, "I suppose so, sir."

Gabriel hummed, "Very well. I shall follow you down the entrance, then return and hold the line here."

Thomas bowed his head down a little, muttering some quiet thanks. He once again recalled one of his conversations with Histoire. It might be true, after all, that others have more faith in him than he does in himself.

* * *

Going down the stairway, the party, with Gabriel leading them down, finally went into Parap Station proper. The area was awfully big, with large enough space for anyone to get where they were going. Even when the station was packed with people, there was always enough space to get around. This made the following area more unpredictable, as mines could be placed anywhere, with the odds of it being missed were higher.

Other than the dangers of the mines, the area was pretty much similar to the other subway stations in Lastation. In contrast to the dark and industrial look of some of Lastation's buildings, the subway fit more into the cyberpunk theme that Lastation was also known for. There were long hallways, bright neon lights, and sleeks vending machines and lockers all around. Strangely enough, despite the firewall's interference, there was still enough power to keep the lights on.

Gabriel traveled quickly down the stairs, pulling out his rifle and crouched behind a pillar at the bottom. He glanced over from his cover to check the area, before motioning for the party to come down, "This section is clear," he said in a quieter but still gruff tone.

The party walked down the stairs before huddling behind Gabriel's position. Even though everyone was crouching down, it was hard to not notice a bunch of people at the bottom of the stairway. Thankfully for them, there were no enemies to deal with presently.

"This is as far as I'll accompany you," Gabriel as he looked between the various CPUs and adventurers, "But before I go, let me help you with one thing." He lifted a free finger, "Please observe." He turned around the pillar and pointed down the hall. He then glanced back to see if everyone was watching.

"Before we came back from out last trek, our people recovered one of the mines," Gabriel said, "Some of these things explode on proximity, but this one would have to be stepped on. They all look similar, however. We put the mine over there in case our, huh, 'friends' came back."

Uni peered over to look it over, "I think I can make it out. I can see the strategy value here. They almost blend in with the floor tiling if you're not looking."

"Exactly," Gabriel mused with a sneer, "These enemies may be cowards, but they know exactly what they are doing."

Nepgear squinted over at the area Gabriel pointed out. The floor was quite sleek, fitting the overall look of the subway. It took a moment before she could make out a small bump on the flat surface, and identifying the mine. "Wow, that really is a small mine," Nepgear said, "That could cause some definite problems."

"You haven't seen the other half of it," Gabriel said as he lifted his rifle to aim at it, "We should be at a good distance, but watch what happens when I set it off. I'll wait until everyone gets a good look at that mine for future reference."

Gabriel held his aim and watched as the rest of the party, one by one, raised their hand to indicate they got a good look. The man with the rifle waited until the last few people in the back raised their hands, "Good. Alright," he shifted back to a more comfortable stance, as he fixed his aim one more time, "Now, watch." He took a deep breath, held, and pulled the trigger on his rifle. It was not a difficult shot, as he had no trouble hitting the mine, but ensuing explosion that triggered was fairly large.

"Eep," Thomas deadpanned.

"Indeed," Gabriel frowned as he eased his aim, standing up, "I wish you all the best of luck. If you can, please clear as many as you can, preferably in a straight path. We'll get our engineers to handle the rest at a later time. Hopefully with these cowards gone."

"We'll do what we can," Uni nodded, "You are dismissed, Lieutenant. And thanks."

"Understood. I'll be back at camp. Our comms will be open if you need to get in touch," Gabriel, finished with his role, briskly walked back up the stairs, not looking back.

"And just as quickly as he was introduced, he's out," Neptune noted, "But yeah, we gotta deal with these mines somehow."

"Clearing them afar won't be too difficult," IF said, "It's just spotting them and making sure we aren't too close when they go off."

"The explosion had a good range," Blanc muttered, "Even if they are weak, low-level mines, which I somehow doubt, we can take quite a bit of damage if we set off too many of those."

"Anyone got a metal detector?" Neptune joked.

"You heard the lieutenant," IF said, "Some might just detonate due to proximity. Not to mention, even a metal detector might miss something like that."

"Assuming they're all grounded, too," Blanc said, "Ugh, this is just going to take forever to clear. The subway's not exactly small, you know?"

"We just need to clear the ones on the ground, right?" Uzume asked, "If we don't have to worry about staring at the ground every few steps, we can move more quickly."

Thomas rubbed his chin, "If only had some sturdy vehicle with us. I recall reading about attaching something like a plow or flail to a vehicle to clear mines. Even something like a roller could be used."

"A roller?" Plutia blinked at the thoughts going in her head.

"You know, just something to hit the mines for us," Thomas responded.

"Well, we could use Blanc as a t-" Neptune was about to tease Blanc again.

"We are **not** using one of our party members as a tank," Thomas glared at Neptune.

"Haha, kidding, of course," Neptune said lightly, "None of us are so masochistic to want to dive into mines anyway."

"I know one!" Plutia said, looking like she came across an idea.

Thomas' eyes widened, "Absolutely not! I refuse."

"Huh?" Plutia said, looking puzzled, "I wasn't talking about you. Are you a masochist, Tommy?" She asked in a tone implying a genuine interest.

"No!" Thomas' eyes glared right at a surprised Plutia, "A-and if it wasn't me you meant, then who do you mean?"

"It's not **quite** a who," Plutia said, after a pause, while holding her hands together, with a rather unsettling smile.

"Then who, or what, is this," Rom tilted her head, trying to think, "What was that word again?"

Plutia giggled, "Never mind, dear Rommy. The important thing is I got an idea. Hold on! I need to go somewhere to prepare. B R B!" With that, the CPU went back up the stairs, leaving the party puzzled.

"She didn't even ask if we thought her idea was good or not," Uzume said quietly.

"Sounds about right for Plutie," Neptune remarked, "Either way, let's just sit down and wait! Even though she's slow, once she gets excited, Plutia won't take long."

"I hope Plutia's idea will work!" Compa said cheerily, even as some of the others were a little worried. Maybe not so much whether it would work, but what method Plutia had in mind.

* * *

"I guess that's why Plutia asked me about a roller," Thomas said as he leaned back against a wall.

"Well, I can't say this is a bad idea, after all," IF said with a little relief, as she leaned on the wall next to Thomas, "It's, uh, unique?"

As the two watched, Plutia's 'weapon' in human form, a plushie, was seen actually moving on its own past them. The party made room not only for it to pass by, but for the large ball it was pushing.

Large ball? Uh, okay? Alright, let's get a good look at this silliness. The plushie that Plutia normally wielded was now pushing a giant ball down the stairs and into the subway station. I would say that now I've seen everything, except I can never be sure anymore.

"Ta-daaaaaa!" Plutia hopped down the last step of the stairs, waving her hands over at the plushie doing its run, "This is what I call a Plutia crab! Next time I do this, though, I'm gonna have to make a plushie crab to fit the theme. Ohhhh well!"

"Uhh, how is that plushie moving on its own? And where did that ball come from?" Thomas asked, confused by what he was seeing in front of him. The plushie's job, oddly enough, was working to some extent, as the oddly durable ball was able to detonate a couple of the mines it rolled over.

"Magic," Plutia answered, as she smiled to Thomas, "Do you reaaaaally wanna more about how I did this, mister wizard?"

Thomas sweatdropped, "Uhh, maybe I should leave this to the professionals."

Plutia pouted, "Aww. I wouldn't mind sharing some of my secrets."

Thomas shuddered a bit, while the Plutia crab, led by a kitty plush, tried a few times to roll the ball over one of the mines. After two failed tries, the plushie stopped and went over to detonate it the old-fashioned way: With its face. Strangely enough, it also somehow endured the ensuing explosion.

"That plush is certainly durable," IF blinked at the antics of this odd sight.

"Also magic!" Plutia said, before grinning, "Not really. It's just very durable. I use the best materials to make it. Eheh."

"Are we planning to use this crab through the entire station?" Thomas inquired.

Plutia shrugged, "I can always bring this thing up if we need it for an area. I am sure that Gabe person will like the results."

"We can certainly clear our way out with this, sure," IF said, rubbing the back of her neck, "We'll still have to keep an eye out, though."

After several detonations and rolling around later, the Plutia crab returned with the plush wobbling its charred self over to its wielder. Plutia knelt down and gently picked up the plush, before squeezing it happily, "Yay! Good job!" Despite the plush looking rather crispy, Plutia had no problem giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"I guess we're free to proceed," Thomas muttered.

Plutia giggled, "Alright! I hope you're ready for the next time we need you, Mr. Kitty!" The plush did a little salute before slumping back into another Plutia squeeze.

IF coughed, "Let's not look any more into this, and keep going, shall we?"

Well, while the party went on, part of me wants to know, just how was this possible? Where did Plutia get that large ball? Was it on sale? What sort of high-quality material was this plush made out of? Is Mr. Kitty alive and sentient, or a plush with the soul of a tragic figure from Plutia's past? Questions like these will most likely not be answered next time! Instead, we'll probably find out what's at the end of this subway dungeon.

And now Mr. Kitty's eyes twinkled at me. How is that possible, again? Either way, stop that, Mr. Kitty. Bad plush.


	38. ACT III: Reunion

**("I was disappointed when I looked over the next chapter, that it felt too short. Soooo, here's two chapters I planned, combined into one! Please enjoy. May take a while for a new chapter to show up though. Ah well!" - An author writing about Lastation when it feels like Lowee in here. Brr.)**

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Uni's icon appears, with the phrase: "Clearing mines at a subway station. Just another day in Lastation."**

* * *

The Plutia crab cleared several of the mines in the first few, empty parts of Parap Station; however, the party still had to keep looking around for any other mines, or potential traps. The urge to wander around and look for hidden items or treasure had to be suppressed. Unfortunate, since there may be some great items to be had.

While the Lastation Plains had many more monsters than robots, the subway station exclusively had robots make up all the mobs present here. They could see a couple of the jets they've fought previously, hovering by at a slower speed. In addition, a few of the basic ordinary robots were escorting them. These robots were also hovering thanks to a jet pack of sorts attached to the back.

Lastly, there was another hovering robot, which I shall dub the "Mine Layer" as it seemed to be deploying mines here and there. The robot looked like a basic rectangular platform with a few rockets attached to float around. It deploys the mines by setting itself on the ground and laying a mine. Like a chicken laying an egg, only you don't want this one to 'hatch'.

The group noticed one such mob, and seeing it doing its patrol, laying mines on the way. Uzume grimaced at the scene, "Sneaky bastards. Hovering just above ground while they drop mines for any wandering person to trigger."

"How awful," Nepgear shook her head, "If these robots really do have a beef with us CPUs, why would they lay mines? We could just fly over these things when we transform."

"They've been fighting with monsters and humans around here lately, too," Uni reminded her, "Whatever they're doing, it's obvious they want to keep people away."

Neptune got her katana ready, "Alllllright. Let's Nep these guys up!"

Uni got her submachine gun up, and raised a free hand to Neptune, "Hold on. Let me get the first shot. If this works, it'll make the battle easier."

"Huh? Oh, sure, why not?" Neptune shrugged, "Let's Uni these guys up? No, that phrase won't work. Let's attack in **Uni** son! No, that won't do. Not much word play off of your name there, Noire Junior. It's quite **Uni** que."

"I'm just gonna shoot," Uni said, not wanting to deal with catchphrases, or Neptune's attempt at bad humor. Even though her SMG was not meant for long range, Uni had a good eye, and aimed her sight down over at the Mine Layer, waiting for its next deployment. The party waited, trying their best to hide away from sight. Difficult for a party that size, but they managed.

Uni knelt down as soon as the robot began laying down its next mine. Just a moment after the mine was deployed, Uni fired. She sprayed a good amount of bullets at the mine, triggering the explosion that would envelop the Mine Layer and severely damage the other robots. Once the smoke cleared, the party rushed in to finish off the remaining bots.

"Ha, those bots thought they were so smart!" Ram hopped a bit in victory post-battle, "Too bad! Flying didn't help you there! G G!"

Nepgear perked up a little, before Rom joined Ram in exclaiming, "Uh huh! G G!" Nepgear realized they weren't using Compa's "Ge-Ge" nickname, and laughed a bit.

Uni had a sigh of relief after the battle, "That worked out better than I expected. If only Noire could see me now."

"I'm sure if Noire were here now," Neptune smiled, "She'd pat you on the head and say you've been a good girl, and tell you how proud she is to have you as a sister!"

Uni flustered, "W-what? No, that's not like Noire at all! I mean, I wouldn't mind that so much, or even a bit, but that's a little too much!"

Blanc rolled her eyes, "Let's concentrate on clearing out this trash. Plutia, you got that, uh, crab ready?"

Plutia clapped her hands together, "I'll have Mr. Kitty clean up this room before we go further!"

As Mr. Kitty was summoned to clear a path to the next part of the station, Uzume shuffled over to the flustered Uni, "Uh, Unisy? Mind if I ask about something?"

"Oh, sure, Uzume," Uni said, quickly trying to move on, putting away her weapon while the rest of the party stayed back.

"What do you know about, um, that big guy back there," Uzume blinked, trying to remember, "The lieutenant?"

Uni arched an eyebrow, "Oh? What about him?"

"He was all excited to meet with Plutia, and spoke highly of Nepsy or Gearsy," Uzume began, before gesturing to herself, "But he was a little dismissive of me. Did I do something?"

"He was a little dismissive of me, as well," IF jumped into the conversation, fixing her coat after the battle, "I just assumed he was impressed with the CPUs, and didn't know you much, Uzume."

"No, that's not it," Uni shook her head, "The lieutenant, um, Gabriel, is someone who reveres strength and power. Physical strength, mainly. He's trained a lot in that department, and is probably one of Lastation's strongest soldiers. Still, he doesn't look up much to other factors. He probably hasn't heard much about you, Uzume. He still mistakes me on occasion as a kid until I tell him off."

"I don't get it," Rom piped in, looking up at both Uni and Uzume, "You two are some of the strongest people I know!"

"Agreed," Thomas added, even gesturing a thumb to IF, "I haven't really been in many fights, but all of you are really, really strong. IF, you are quick with your blades and can slice at almost anything."

"You don't need to kiss my ass," IF smirked, holding her coat's collar, "But I do appreciate some honesty."

"Uh huh, and Uzume is really cool when she punches anything, even rock-solid enemies!" Ram pitched in.

Uzume's eyes sparkled, "Thanks, Ramsy! Damn straight I'm strong."

"W-what about me? I'm just a gunner, after all," Uni lamented.

"You're pretty strong, Uni!" Nepgear rushed to her defense, "Even when we practice dueling, I can feel your strength pushing back."

"Sure wish others would notice, b-but thanks, Nepgear," Uni said.

Thomas scratched his head, "Just thinking as well. When you are transformed, mi-er, Uni, you have a rather large rifle. I can only imagine that weighing quite a lot. I don't think even the lieutenant could carry that without a struggle."

"Really?" Uni tilted her head, trying to think about it, "I don't think it's that heavy."

"Are you serious?" Thomas' eyes widened, "I saw that rifle, it's absolutely massive! If you weren't using it to shoot, I'd swear you'd use it as a blunt weapon."

"Oh!" Uni smiled a little, "That's just due to the rifle being pretty durable but also lightweight. I'm sure anyone capable with ranged weapons could wield it if they wanted to. Not saying I'm offering it to anyone, though. It's my rifle, after all, so don't get any idea."

Thomas sweatdropped, "It's okay. I don't plan on it."

"That's right!" Neptune finally got back into the conversation, "After all, it's an unwritten rule not to use other people's weapons, unless they're in the same category as yours, like me and Nepgear. Besides, who really wants to see me use other weapons, anyway? I'm not gonna be using Blanc's hammer anytime soon."

"Just you try it," Blanc teasingly warned Neptune, "I bet you wouldn't be able to lift the thing over your head without falling over."

"Much as I want to prove you so wrong," Neptune shook her head, "I know better than to touch another goddess' hammer. Besides, I'm not the goddess associated with thunder."

"Uh, Neptune?" Blanc deadpanned, "Neither am I."

"Oh! Right," Neptune smiled, looking to Plutia, "Hey, Plutie. You use many lightning skills, yes?"

"Hmm?" Plutia turned her head to Neptune, as she was watching Mr. Kitty kicking at a mine, "Uhhh, oh yeah, I use that element a bit."

"She is not wielding my weapon," Blanc narrowed her eyes at Neptune.

Plutia blinked, then turned to Blanc, "Why would I want to use Blanny's weapon? It looks too heavy."

Blanc looked to Neptune, looking a bit smug, "It is quite a hefty weapon."

"Oh, fine," Neptune shrugged, "So much for having our own goddess of thunder."

"Oh, I can be one!" Plutia said with a small smile, "Do you need me to transform and show you-"

Both Blanc and Neptune quickly responded with repeated "No"s, before Neptune waved her hands, "It's okay, really! We were only kidding around!"

"Absolutely!" Blanc stated, "No need to get onto the topic at all. Just shooting the breeze, right?"

There was an explosion, as Mr. Kitty finally detonated one of the mines. Neptune soon quipped, "Looks like another breeze just happened. We'll just keep shooting, over here. Waiting politely! Yep!"

Plutia's smile widened, "O-kay! You two be good!" She then turned to watch Mr. Kitty, charred once more by the explosion, as it rolled around the giant ball, "Almost there! You can do it!"

"Er, anyway," Thomas turned his attention back to Uni, "Putting this all shortly, I'm sure the lieutenant just needs more time to, er, well, notice?"

"R-right," Uni said, who seemed more puzzled by the silliness nearby. Either that, or maybe in her quest for perfection, Uni was thinking about wielding a huge hammer too. Don't think she wouldn't!

* * *

This was a pattern that the party would adopt as they went through Parap Station. Although they still had to keep an eye out for other obstacles, it was not too difficult to avoid some of the mines nearby as the party cleared the enemies. Plutia would then summon Mr. Kitty to play Minesweeper, before the party would continue on.

The unfortunate part of this method was that it took some time, and even then, there was no certainty that this would prevent future mine laying in the future. As they were taking some time to break between areas, there was a lot of time to think about that. Well, that, and what should they eat next time they took a little break.

Going down the stairs to the next level, while the party saw there were still mobs to fight, the mines were dwindling. While this made the next level a little easier to traverse, it was a little confusing.

However, as the party went to fight another mob of hovering bots, IF kept her eye out. After Uni's initial shot, IF quickly moved ahead, slashing with her katars before going past the group and stopping. Before turning to continue her fighting, she could spot a few other robots down the hallway. She then noticed another Mine Layer setting down on a visible mine. IF blinked, realizing that it wasn't laying down a mine this time, it was recovering it. After its recovery, it hovered off, heading to the next stairway down.

IF made a mental note of this as she returned to the fight, leaping onto a hovering jet and stabbing her katars into its wings, slashing through before jumping off and letting it crash. The battle eventually ended with the party taking the credits and loot dropped.

At this point, it wasn't even necessary for Plutia to summon Mr. Kitty for mine clearing. IF took this time to now bring up what she saw. "Uh, everyone?" IF said, gesturing her thumb back, "I saw some of those bots taking back those mines."

"Oh, that's nice of them!" Plutia said happily, "I think Mr. Kitty was starting to feel a little tired after getting blown up more times than he wanted."

"Uhhhh, sure," IF was not going to delve into any of that, "In any case, it looks like we won't be dealing with any more mines here. I'm a little worried, though."

"What do you mean by that, Iffy?" Compa asked, as she went over to check on IF for any wounds.

IF continued, her eyes shifting from Compa to the others in the party, "If they wanted to keep us from finding anything, they would still be laying mines around here. I'm sure by now, those things would be aware of our presence here."

"We haven't exactly been quiet here," Uzume admitted with a wry smile. She must've used her voice on more than one battle.

"Exactly," IF frowned, turning back to look where the robot left to, "Meaning that they might be planning something ahead for us. Regardless, I don't need to tell you all to be careful."

"We should reach the end of the station soon," Uni noted.

"Then everyone make sure your HP and SP are all good," Neptune added, "If this isn't a boss flag, I don't know what is!" With that, the party moved along, heading down the stairs to the last level of the station.

* * *

"My flag senses are busted," Neptune complained.

Sure enough, even though they did encounter a few more mobs on the last level, there was no major boss to speak of at the end. They did find the subway rail leading out of the station after all this time, but there was no boss, no mines, not even a robot to greet them.

"There's gotta be something, right?" Ram asked, "The robots are being kinda lame."

Blanc was first to check the subway track, and hopped down for a better look. After turning her head both ways to check, she paused, before pointing, "I think I've found the reason."

Neptune hopped down to join with Blanc, and turned her head to see the way that would be heading towards Lastation. Seeing what Blanc pointed out, Neptune remarked simply, "Yeah, that might do it."

While the rest of the party hopped down to get a better look, a few stood by the edge to take a peek. Rom and Ram sat at the ledge to see what everyone else was looking at. And that was-

"A firewall barrier?" Thomas said in puzzlement, seeing the barrier blocking the way through the tunnel to Lastation, "We're not that close to the barrier surrounding Lastation, are we?"

"Not even close," Uni said, "You all seem surprised by this. I mean, from what I've heard from some of you, you've dealt with many barriers on the way here, right?"

"That's true," Uzume nodded, getting a closer look through the electric barrier, "However, this one's not really connected to all the barriers we've seen up to here."

"All the other ones were ones that dropped from the sky," Thomas added, "But this... this is just your standard force field in one underground tunnel."

"So, what are we waiting for?" Ram while kicking her feet in the air, "Let's break this thing down!"

Uni was quick to transform into her CPU form, and smirked, "Alright, let me give it a go here. Let's see, if I remember correctly, that tome said to do the following." She murmured a little more as she held out one hand to try and summon the key.

Thomas was startled by Uni's quick transformation, "Wait, hold on a moment. We don't know for certain if this method would work on a barrier like this!"

It was too late for Uni to stop, though, as there was a brief yellow glow where the key would be summoned. After a few moments, however, all that happened was Uni sweatdropping, feeling kind of silly just standing there.

"The hell?" Black Sister quickly grew frustrated, "I finally get a chance to break down these stupid barriers and it denies me?"

"Maybe you need a little help to get this going?" Nepgear asked, moving next to Uni.

Uzume moved next to the group, "This did happen earlier in the adventure. Everyone, get over here so we can bring this down together!"

"CPUs! Assembllllllle!" Neptune called out, even though the group was all nearby. Blanc just shook her head as she passed by Neptune, "Idiot."

The party's CPUs and candidates grouped together to bring the power of share energy, friendship, and whatever it took to bring down these barriers. Yet, despite everyone huddling together, the key could not be summoned. There was even another attempt with everyone transforming briefly, but to no avail.

Changing back to human form, Uni sighed in frustration, "This is not fair! How come it's not working **now** of all times? Stupid barrier."

Thomas rubbed the back of his neck, "That's no good at all. I can think of two reasons this has not worked. Either this barrier is completely different from the ones we've faced so far..."

There was a small pause, allowing IF to interject, "Orrrr?"

"Orrr we don't have enough share energy," Thomas added.

"We need to bring Noire over here," Uni concluded, with Thomas nodding.

"Mayyyybe," Neptune theorized, "Maybe this is where whatever's controlling these robots is hiding at! The final boss is blocking our way!"

"Much as I want to tell Nep she's wrong," IF pondered, "She might be right. Then again, right now, we're unable to proceed further."

"What do we do now?" Rom asked, "Do we have to tell mister Gabriel that we can't go further?"

"Looks like it," Uni said, "I'll have his group continue to cover the entrance. I guess that means we're done here for now."

Uzume frowned, "Damn. Alright. I hate to leave this barrier up, though."

"I agree," Thomas muttered, "They really are an eyesore."

Plutia yawned a little, "I hope we get to rest soon. There's been a lot of walking."

You're going around Gamindustri on foot, of course you're doing a lot of walking!

* * *

Returning back to camp outside the station, Uni briefed Lt. Gabriel on what they dealt with, and ordered his group to keep watch on the entrance. Gabriel bowed his head in acknowledgment of these orders, before Uni told him he was dismissed and went back to the party.

The lieutenant watched as the party was ready to leave, before calling, "Er, lady Neptune. May I have a word with you for a quick moment?"

"L-lieutenant?" Uni said in surprise, as Neptune was starting to be curious, "Is this really necessary?"

"It will only be a quick moment, if you will allow, of course, lady Uni," Gabriel flinched earlier, but tried to keep composed as he wanted to talk with the Planeptune CPU.

"A-alright," Uni said, "Just a moment, though. Neptune, is this okay with you?"

"I don't mind talking to a fan," Neptune joked, "And don't worry. Both you and I are eager to get back to Nowa, so I won't take too much time."

Uni hummed quietly, not really wanting to add more to it. Neptune just beamed at her, before saying to the party, "Be back in a Nep minute!"

"Nep minute?" Plutia pondered this term for a moment, "Wonder how long that is."

"Longer than a normal minute, but not shorter than a Plutia minute. That's the best I got," IF mused.

"Plu?" Plutia looked even more confused, "People measure time in Neps and Plus?"

As IF assured Plutia that they were only kidding, Neptune bounced over to greet the lieutenant with a quick salute, "Heya mister Gabe, sir! You have called upon Neptune, mighty goddess of Planeptune! Soooo, what's up?"

Despite the fact that Gabriel seemed to hold Neptune in high regard, he was thrown off-guard by Neptune's lighthearted greeting, "Er, um, yes. I wish to discuss a matter with you, concerning our own goddess."

"Hmm?" Neptune was a little curious, "Are you referring to lady No-wa? I mean, we'll be off to meet with her soon. Are you trying to get her attention or an autograph? Or a photo? I don't blame you for thinking I'm the best route to get one. I think I can manage something."

"Really?" Gabriel's interest rose as Neptune spoke, but then he pulled back, "No no, it is nothing like that. It is something that my bosses mentioned to me earlier, and I believe I should bring this info to you."

"Your bosses?" Neptune raised a finger to her lips, "Ohhh, you mean that agency thingy?"

"Uh, yes," the lieutenant was still thrown off by Neptune's personality, "Anyway, my superiors, their job to help out with Lastation is dependent on the health of their goddess. Lately, my bosses at LSN are growing concerned with Noire's recent behavior."

Neptune frowned a little, "Recent behavior? Is it really that bad? Did they not bring this up with Noire? Or even her sister?"

"Actually, I was talking about this with lady Uni a long while back," Gabriel dipped his head down, "I understand that she, like the rest of us, is stressed from being driven out of Lastation. However, I believe goddesses need a good sleep. Being that restless is not going to go well for her."

"Hmm," Neptune pondered, "Well, if you want me to help out, I'd probably help out anyway. I'm not sure why you'd ask me, though."

Gabriel crossed his arms, saying, "Lady Uni has tried to talk her down from her constant watch to get some rest. The rest of us haven't really dared to try, and I'm not good at this sort of thing. Besides, of all people, lady Noire does seem to hold you in high regard, even though she may not say it outright."

Neptune laughed a bit, before cheerily saying, "Aha, right! A-anyway, sure thing, no pressure! I mean, if anyone could bring down Noire's guard for a moment, it's gonna be yours truly, right? Haha..."

Gabriel wasn't too sure of that response, "You seemed confident with regards to getting her autograph, but not this?"

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Neptune got back to her cheery tone, "I'm just trying to think up how to do all this. Rest assured, Noire will be assured some rest! Just leave it to your nation's dear ally Nep to get the job done!"

Once again, Neptune laughed, trying to sound more confident. Does anyone buy this? Well, maybe she'll be able to help soothe the troubled goddess. Hopefully, we'll find out soon? One thing's for sure, Lt. Gabriel is not likely getting that autograph or picture from Noire.

* * *

A small and shiny white owl flew overhead, moving south, as the party soon followed in that direction, heading towards Lastation, and where Noire had set up main camp with her nation's forces. The sun was starting to set in the sky, as despite the electric firewall, anyone can see the blue sky fading into a darker shade. Despite the coming night, the party continued on their adventure, going back through the Lastation Plains.

Thomas was in the back row once more, glancing down as he was in thought. He was not the only in the party, though, as Blanc was holding one of her long arm sleeves over her mouth, "Hmmm..."

"Thinking about something, Blanny?" Plutia was somehow managing to keep up with everyone, despite her speed and wanting to sleep soon.

"I was," Blanc stated as she brought down her sleeve to speak, "I'm just thinking about what we would be doing next. After we get Noire to join our ranks, that is."

"We save Lastation," Plutia simply said, "I thought it was pretty obvious what we do next."

"I was meaning how we get to that," Blanc responded.

Plutia just looked puzzled, "Uhhh, we go to Lastation and beat up the bad guys?"

Blanc shook her head, "Tch. I mean, yes, that, but we have a few options here. We could go for the direct route into Lastation straight ahead, or head back through Parap Station. I don't think that's where the 'Big Bad' is, but there may be something there."

"You're thinking about that too, huh?" Thomas spoke up from behind the two, "Assuming we could break either of the barriers, which way should we go?"

"I was thinking of going back," Blanc said briefly, "But since we're getting closer to Lastation, we may as well go there, right?"

"I don't know," remarked Thomas, "Either possibility isn't going to be easy. Those Mine Layers taking back their mines fills me with some concern. What could they be up to? Meanwhile, I really don't like have a full frontal assault."

"Why not?" Plutia asked, somehow managing to stay in the conversation, as she was genuinely curious on Thomas' thinking.

"All those cannons pointing right towards the city," Thomas said with a grimace, "I know the people of Lastation will try really hard; however, I worry about the potential damage or casualties that may happen if we just drop that barrier and go fully in."

"I don't like the idea of leaving them out, personally," Blanc replied, "Besides, you can see the signs of fighting all over the plains here."

"I just feel like if we can sneak in there with our group, we can find a way to destroy that land carrier and drive the robots out of Lastation," Thomas gestured towards Lastation, "We might be able to do that and keep the damage in the city to a minimum."

"Easier said than done," Blanc countered, "We don't even know if the way from Parap Station leads us straight to Lastation. For all we know, Neptune could be right and the final boss is that way."

"Then we stop it and call it an adventure," Thomas shrugged a bit, "If that was the case, I'll take that chance. I might be growing my skills slowly, but I still don't want to fight more than needed."

"I think you still want to avoid fighting, overall," Blanc frowned.

"You know me so well! No wonder we get along!" Thomas took the moment to tease Blanc.

Blanc's cheeks tinged a bit, but not by much, "Ass. Still, I can't blame you for wanting to spare the city somehow."

"This is so troubling," Plutia pouted, "I thought the direct route was gonna be the quick way, but it could be the long way. No fair. I wanted to get some sleep."

"You always want to sleep!" Blanc complained to Plutia.

"Nuh uh!" Plutia denied this, "I like napping. Right now, I wanna sleep. Those two things are totally different!"

"We'll do that at the main camp," Thomas tried to assure her, "Just try and hold out a little while longer, Plutia."

"Awww," Plutia grumbled, "My feet are getting all wobbly. Can you carry me again, Tommy?"

"What? No!" Thomas reacted with some fear, "You're not the only one who's tired!"

"Wait, carry you again?" Blanc looked over at Plutia with a quizical look. Plutia's weak smile gave the answer. Blanc then turned her head to Thomas, "You know, I'm feeling a little wobbly myself. Perhaps someone would be willing to help carry me to the end of this small stretch."

"I am not carrying one person, let alone two," Thomas flinched.

"I didn't say you have to carry both of us," Blanc noted, "Just me."

"Plu?" Plutia looked confused at Blanc, "I asked first."

"Nuh uh," Thomas shook his head, "We are not adding 'horse ride' to my list of tasks within the party. For crying out loud, you two are strong CPUs, why would you need to be on **my** back?"

Blanc and Plutia continued their teasing of Thomas, at least I think they were teasing, as someone else was overhearing their conversation. Surprisingly, Neptune had been keeping quiet through this whole scene, and even had a look that she was thinking quite a bit.

Her sister was not one to miss such an expression, as Nepgear tapped her on the shoulder, "Uh, Neptune? Is everything alright?"

"Hmm?" Neptune was brought out of it by the concern of her sister, and she went back to her usual demeanor, "Oh, yeah, I'm doing good, Nep Junior. I had to juggle some things in the old noggin', but it's nothing your big sister can't handle!"

"Are you sure?" Nepgear inquired, holding her hands together, "You know you can rely on any of us when you're in a bind."

"Of course!" Neptune beamed, "And I'm glad you checked up on me. By the by," Quick to change the subject, Neptune asked, "Did you get any message from Histy?"

Nepgear's eyes widened, "Oh! Right! Uh, I did update Histoire on what's happened so far. She's been trying to reach the main camp, but there is still some interference from the firewall around the Azure Coast. She's trying to get Financier from Lowee to make the call instead."

"I guess Noire might not know we're coming," Neptune hummed.

"I hope she's alright," Nepgear frowned.

"She'll be fine! Besides," Neptune said with a grin, "She can rely on us to help her out."

Nepgear nodded, as Neptune seemed to have gone back to being her usual self.

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Uzume's icon appears, with the text: "Words can actually hurt us in the literal sense. Might explain my cool choice of weapon!"**

* * *

Moving further south, the party encountered some different mobs of robots and monsters, in addition to getting past some of the natural obstacles blocking the way. Because of the coming night sky, some other monsters decided to show up. Some bat-like creatures made their appearance, trying to do what bats usually do in RPGs: sap the party's HP. This made things a little irritating for the healers in the party, but the CPUs were more than enough to deal with the pests.

Thomas soon stopped when the party came across another mob, and raised an eyebrow, "The hell are those things?"

What Thomas pointed out was another strange reoccurring monster, or whatever this enemy could be classified as. It was the return of the visual novel enemies, which usually consist of a still image of an anime scene, and a text box below it with some Japanese script. Why yes, this was an actual enemy. The text box was its weapon. Be afraid!

"What, you've never seen these things before?" IF asked, "You've went around Gamindustri enough times to see these visual novel enemies, right?"

"In fairness," Thomas said, "I usually ran at the first sign of trouble, and when I moved around, I sometimes had a group of adventurers deal with any nearby mobs. Also, I thought people were making a joke when they mentioned visual novels attacking. But it's... literal."

IF shrugged, "Yeah. Don't ask me how these things exist. I don't know, either. Just smash them."

Thomas winced, "Okayyyyy?" He looked over at the weird things. They were all of an identical scene, with an anime school girl kneeling as though she bumped into the main protagonist in the hallway. No idea what the Japanese text is saying. It could be saying "owowowow" for all I knew. Suffice to say, Thomas had to figure out how to deal with these things.

As the party faced a large mob of these enemies, Thomas observed how these enemies attacked or cast its skills. After some observation, Thomas decided to interrupt one of them with his Raster Interrupt. The attack staggered the visual novel, which in turn cried out "You're mean!"

Thomas sweatdropped as he pulled back to let the other party members fight it, "N-n-no I'm not... am I?" Thomas muttered, much to a stifled laugh from Ram nearby.

"Tom, don't be silly!" Ram snickered, "That's just an automated response, dummy."

"Don't be fooled by the visual novel!" Compa warned him in an extremely serious tone, "These things are the mean one! Using cute girls and emotional manipulation!"

Thomas smiled, though it was pained, "How nefarious." With that in mind, he refocused back on the fight. He was soon thrown off when the enemy bawled after his latest interrupt.

"Stop that!" Thomas blurted out, growing frustrated. Ram couldn't help but laugh once more, "What did I tell you, dummy?"

Thomas flustered, "I know!" He gripped on his sabre's handle tightly, "I just don't like smashing things, especially if they make sounds like that!"

"Hold it together, Tom-Tom!" Compa tried to encourage him, "You can do this!"

"R-right!" Thomas tried to get back his composure, "I mustn't fail! The party is counting on me to do my part!"

"This is just embarrassing," IF shook her head at Thomas' poor bravado, as both she and Uzume were done with some of the enemies they faced.

"Good thing we didn't face these earlier in the adventure," Uzume murmured in an aside, "At the least, he's going through with fighting these!"

"You call this an improvement?" IF arched an eyebrow at Uzume.

"Not everyone changes overnight, Ifsy," Uzume said, "I mean, not that I have any experience in the matter, but I can imagine it being difficult to go from one personality to another. I mean, he's no CPU so he doesn't have a crazy evil side with tremendous bloodlust, as far as I know?"

"I hope that's just you joking and not some foreshadowing," IF grumbled, "That would really make my blood boil."

"Agreed," Uzume said as she held her hands together, "Uzume just wants to help Tomsy out! Maybe give Tomsy headpats after doing a good job!"

"Uh, Uzume?" IF again arched the eyebrow she had up earlier.

"Er, I mean," Uzume coughed, "I'll bop his head again if he goes out of line. He's gonna improve with time! Yes, eheh."

IF simply sighed, as Thomas was left to deal with the one remaining enemy, and being called a meanie for slashing at it.

After that final enemy was defeated, there was little in the way as the party was getting close to Lastation's main camp. Uni moved up to the front as she spoke, "Noire would usually be near one of the big cannons pointing at the city. In any case, I'll go meet with the guards ahead and you can go meet with her."

"Alright! Leave the reintroduction to me!" Neptune said with confidence. This led to some uneasy looks from the likes of Blanc and IF. However, Nepgear smiled a bit, "My sister's been thinking seriously about this, I'm sure of this now."

"Haha, can't pull one off on you, Nep Junior," Neptune laughed a bit nervously, "But you didn't have to say that out loud in front of everyone."

* * *

 **From the Chirper archives!**

 **Noire's icon could be seen, giving the following message, "Lastation needs your help! I, your goddess, need your help..."**

 **Another message appeared, reading, "We've managed to secure the area around the city. Thanks, everyone! Let's keep at it!"**

 **The last message read: "This barrier is still up after the latest barrage. We're all looking into it. I hope everyone in the city is safe..."**

* * *

The main camp set itself north of Lastation's main city, a bit away from the barrier. Closer to the barrier were a series of artillery cannons lined up at various high points around the city. Their job, aside from trying to knock down the barrier, to no avail, was to act as a counter to any of the invaders that try to leave the city and attack the surrounding areas. A couple of Lastation soldiers were stationed nearby, on patrol and keeping an eye on the cannons.

On top of another small hill, a large cannon sat idle, with only one person sitting at its base. The person looked vastly different from the NPCs making up Lastation's armed forces. With extremely long black hair in twintails and dressed in more flashy attire, the woman was staring up at the barrier surrounding the city with her red eyes. This was none other than the goddess CPU of Lastation, Lady Black Heart, Noire.

Noire sharpened her gaze, even as the night sky was reminding her that she needed more sleep. Unfortunately for Noire, she had been unable to sleep for anything than just a few hours in the last several days. This was nothing too new for Noire, who sometimes had to stay up for long periods of time if there was a lot of work. She wasn't Vert, though. This was all stressing her out, and she was not in the mood to play any games.

Despite the efforts of her and her people, they had been unable to find a way to punch through that barrier. She was hoping to find any sort of clue in the surrounding areas, but nothing has turned up. In the meantime, all she could do was keep the rest of her nation safe from these invaders.

She lowered her eyes briefly, her expression growing sullen. Not only was she deeply concerned for what was happening within her nation, both in and out of the city, but she was also worried about the state of things outside. The nations of Leanbox, Lowee and Planeptune must be dealing with just as much right now, she most likely thought. With a sad sigh, she looked back at the barrier. She hoped that at the least, the other CPUs were okay. Noire would be glad to even deal with Neptune's randomness. Uh, that sounded like a flag going up. No, wait, I'm hearing something else in the distance.

"No-waaaaaaaaaaaaa~"

"Hmm?" Noire turned her head up, "Did I just hear tha- **nowaaaaaah!"**

"Gotcha!" A little purple blur caught up with Noire, wrapping its arms around Noire's upper body. The sudden tackle was enough to topple Noire forward, onto the soft ground below. It took a while for Noire to stir from the tackle, feeling the familiar squeeze from the Planeptune CPU Neptune. While it was not all unpleasant, she wasn't particularly thrilled by the sudden move by Neptune.

"Noire's gone down!" A nearby guard yelled from his position at one of the other cannons, "Something's got her!"

"Stand down," A dismissive guard called out from her position on the other side, "It's just Neptune."

 **"What do you mean by that? Your goddess has just been attacked! I order you to help me back up right now!"** An angry Noire blustered, wriggling her arms out from below her before waving them frantically.

"Er, maybe we should get involved?" The male guard looked rather confused by the whole affair.

"It's fine," The female guard replied, "Just give a moment for the scene to calm down."

 **"I will not calm down!"** Noire exclaimed, **"This is an order from the CPU! Get me out of-"**

"Gee, let's not make an international incident out of this, Noire," Neptune mused, "Here, let me help you back up."

Neptune got up, helping Noire get back on her feet as well. Neptune even used her own shoulders as support for the flustered Lastation CPU.

"Thanks, Neptune," Noire said simply, before turning her attention to the guards, pointing a finger, "Now, as for you two, I should have you both dis-aaaaaa?"

"'Sup?" Neptune grinned happily as stopped functioning.

After a little reboot, Noire's eyes sparkled briefly, **"Ne-!"** That brief moment of joy was stopped as Noire had everyone nearby watching her. She went back to being rather flustered, "Neptune? Can't you just greet people like a normal person?"

"Hmm, nope! No can do," Neptune answered, "How can I express my joy of reuniting with ya in a simple greeting? That's just not gonna happen."

"Neptune," Noire muttered, "you pain in the-wait! How did you get here anyway?"

"The long way, I'm afraid," Neptune said as she turned to her side, seeing the rest of the party huddling with a few guards, "Me and several others had to make our way around through Lowee. Histy and Financier have been trying to get through with communications. Least from what Nep Junior's told me."

Noire looked over to see the group, a little further away, with Uni speaking to some of the guards. She could make out a few of the party members, as Rom and Ram turned to wave happily at her and Neptune. Neptune added, "Oh, yeah, we bumped into Uni on the way here, so we helped out with her side quest."

Noire blinked, "Oh?" She then had to ask, "How did you get here? Weren't there barriers there too?" She turned her head to, finally, look away from her city, to see that things looked a lot clearer further north.

"There's a long story to explain all that," Neptune said, "There's like, some sort of tome that Tommy got that has the way to drop these barriers."

"Tommy?" Noire asked quietly, as she looked more at the party grouped together. Near the Lowee twins and Compa, making up the back row, Thomas watched quietly with his hands in his hoodie's pockets. However, as he looked around the camp, his eyes turned to see Neptune and Noire. With Noire looking back at him, Thomas took one hand out of his pocket, and raised it up to his forehead, in a small greeting, mouthing a quiet "Hi."

"Thomas? How is he - you know what? Never mind," Noire shook her head, "I'll ask Uni to fill me in on the details. But I imagine this means you have a means to take these barriers down?"

Neptune nodded. Before she could say anything else, Noire looked to her, "You all must be a little tired getting here. It's also night time, so I'm sure you all need rest."

"Uh, yeah," Neptune admitted, "We have been walking quite a bit since leaving Lowee."

"I'll go talk to Uni," Noire said while crossing her arms, "You can tell the others that they could rest in the tents." She paused, noticing a napping Plutia near one of the tents, as a female guard watched her, confused. Noire added, "Or, I guess anywhere is fine?" She muttered incredulously to herself, "Seriously? She's here too?"

"Sure thing!" Neptune smiled, "And don't worry! We'll help you get back your nation!"

"I expect nothing less," Noire mused, "And... it's good to see you again, Neptune."

Neptune nodded, "Okee dokee! Be seeing ya in a bit, No-wa!" Neptune bounced out to meet with the party, as Uni finally broke down the situation with the guard and headed back to her sister.

"Noire!" Uni exclaimed, "I did what I could at Parap Station, and I took care of that sniper bot, and-"

"Woah there, take it easy, Uni," Noire smiled weakly, "Take a deep breath, relax, and tell me everything you know. Be as detailed as possible. I have the feeling I'm missing out on... a lot."

Uni winced, "R-right. Sorry. I guess I'm just excited. We may have a chance to finally take back our city!" She then tried to compose herself, "Before I go on, I just spoke with the guards there. We just got communications from Lowee, but it's still fuzzy. I'm guessing we're still dealing with those robots jamming our lines now and then."

"Tell them to keep working on it," Noire noted, "Unfortunately, we have a lot of ground to cover, so until we drive them away from our city, we're still gonna have these harassment tactics."

"I will," Uni said, before getting into the meat and potatoes of her debriefing, telling Noire about what she understood so far. It was a lot of information to take in, about the firewall, the tome, the party, and what she saw. Noire stood there trying to take it all in. Despite keeping note of all the details in her mind, she felt a little distracted.

* * *

Later that night, Noire was still by the cannon atop the hill, though now she was just sitting, watching for anything as she went into her own thoughts. The rest of the party had gone into tents to sleep in whatever was free, save for Plutia who was still sleeping on the ground outside a tent. As there was a change in the guard, the one coming in said to her partner, "I recognize this CPU. If there is anything you should keep in mind, do **not** wake her up unless absolutely needed. Believe me, let her sleep." Plutia only giggled softly in her sleep, hugging her plush close to her for comfort.

Uni had left to follow the others to sleep, even as she was a little concerned about Noire staying up. Noire took a deep breath and exhaled in a slow and quiet sigh, her mind barely able to concentrate. It was mainly quiet now, save for the sound of the owl that followed the party earlier. Probably looking for a snack.

Noire was startled by the feeling of someone sitting behind her, feeling a back lean against hers. She was about to stand up and tell off this invasion of personal space, when she heard a "Hey Noire, still hanging out here?" She recognized the voice as that of Neptune.

"Y-yes," Noire said, before wincing, "Shouldn't you be in one of the tents, going to sleep?"

"You did say anywhere would be fine, right?" Neptune cheerily reminded Noire, even though it was really meant to excuse Plutia's resting spot.

"Did it have to be behind, on my back?" Noire asked in an unamused tone.

"Well, I would be beside you," Neptune said, "Buuuuut I think I've seen enough of that firewall barrier for, well, forever. So, I'll just be here to watch your back. Or lean on it, whatever."

Noire closed her eyes, "I could just leave."

"I'll just follow, then," Neptune retorted, "At least until someone gets a little more sleep."

There was a small pause, before Noire said, "You've heard from Uni?"

"Actually, it was one of your citizens dutifully serving their country," Neptune answered, before adding quickly, "I'm pretty sure even the people here are worried about your sleeping habits."

"Being lectured on sleeping by Neptune," Noire muttered, "though I guess everyone else is worried." After another beat, Noire reopened her eyes, looking back at the city, "Neptune, is it true about what Uni told me? About what's controlling these invaders?"

"The robots?" Neptune said as she scratched her cheek, "Well, uh, we're not sure for certain. Histy's theorized it's some old anti-viral program on the fritz. Until we find out where these baddies are coming from, we're off shooing them away from our nations."

"I see," Noire simply said, before continuing, "I was wondering. I, I just thought I was ready. That now we could finally enjoy some long-earned peace. And yet, every time we could finally relax, another crisis had to hit. A crisis involving an anti-viral program, too?" She dipped her head, "Maybe, maybe we haven't been working enough for our people. Maybe we've been too complacent..."

"Whaaaat? Are you kidding me?" Neptune turned her head to look at Noire, shaking her fists, "Come on! You, of all people, should not be complaining about not working enough."

"Neptune?" Noire blinked back, as she turned her head to meet the determined CPU's eyes.

"I know you're looking at the city," Neptune argued, "But take a look around you. You have many people helping out all around Lastation, just trying to help you take it back. They even were worried about how you've been up so much. They had to ask me of all people to check on ya!"

Noire sweatdropped, as she wasn't too sure them going to **Neptune** was the best move. Still, she had to admit, even the guards were asking now and then if she had some sleep. She sighed, "I... I feel like despite all that I've done, things still go completely wrong. I couldn't even stop this incursion when it happened."

"None of us fared any better when this firewall first fell," Neptune said, "I stuffed Histy into a cabinet and tried to distract the robots away from Planeptune. Tommy, Nep Junior and Blanc fell out of the sky. Uzume was alone and unable to transform for a long while. Iffy and Compa were dealing with an unconscious Nepgear. Plutie was stuck in a cave constantly fighting monsters. Rom and Ram were hiding underground from an evil giant toaster!"

Noire paused to get all this in her mind, but all it did was add to her confusion, "Uhhh, Neptune? Without the context involved, all those sentences didn't make a lot of sense."

Neptune laughed nervously, "Eheh, oh right. They don't, do they? You had to be there, I guess." She shook her head, "The point is, Noire, every one of us had to deal with these hardships. I mean, seriously, we've been through this song and dance before in previous installments. You **know** this comes with the territory! Besides, we're already in this mess. Can't just quit mid-game."

"There you go with that meta crap again," Noire winced, before sighing, "What was I thinking? I can't let these things get the best of me. People are still counting on us."

"Well," Neptune noted, "It's not like you haven't been doing anything before."

"I was just lost in my own thoughts to do much after," Noire admitted, "Laying siege to my own city was not something I would imagine. Now I have to think about how to stop this."

"Did Uni mention the two options we have?" Neptune asked.

Noire nodded, "Yeah. I'll... I'll sleep on it. For now, I'm gonna try to look at something other than that stupid barrier."

Neptune hummed, "In fairness, the sky is still covered by the stupid firewall."

Noire looked up, as the two checked out the stars above them. There was a little pause as they tried to make out what was high up there.

Noire quietly spoke, "You can still make out the stars beyond. It's pretty, at least."

"Mmm, yeah," Neptune said, "It'll look even better when we take care of business."

Noire hummed in the affirmative while the two stared up at the sky. There was another period, a longer one, for the two to enjoy the relative quiet, even with all that was going on around them.

Finally, Neptune spoke, "Say, do you know any of the stars up there? I think there's like a divine fist up there but-" She stopped the moment she felt Noire's body relax against her back, and heard Noire started to snore.

"N-no fair, Noire," Neptune quietly complained, "I was planning to sleep first. Oh well! Save a spot for me in dreamland." She stretched a little, leaning on the sleeping CPU, before drifting off herself. These CPUs power down to sleep rather quickly, don't they? Well, keep an eye out for the next chapter, when I guess we'll be up the next morning. Good night!


	39. ACT III: Portents

**("As the holidays approach as of this writing, expect things to go slowly. Hope you all have a good time and enjoy the new year! I know I constantly say I would slow down on updates. I can't help it, this Act is the most challenge I've had to write yet. Well, we'll see how it goes. Enjoy!" - Some goofball who wrote this.)**

* * *

"Still asleep? Uh, hey? Tomsy? ... **Hey! Wake up!"**

From inside one of the tents, loud words echoed in Thomas' ears, jolting him awake. He nearly fell off the cot he was sleeping in, before pulling back onto his stomach. Setting his face down, he simply grumbled, "Fai moa minuhz..."

The person who decided to come into the tent to wake Thomas was Uzume, who was tempted to use her megaphone after Thomas' reaction. She shook her head, "Everyone else is up, Tomsy. Even the guards are all up now."

Thomas lifted a hand up to his head, as he moved his head to the side, "Urrrgh. Dun wanna wake up yet. Bleh."

"Come on, mister nine to five," Uzume knelt down to meet closer with Thomas' drowsy eyes, "We can't leave the rest of the party hangin'."

Uzume waited a bit, seeing Thomas react by trying to lift up his head from the cot, only barely able to keep it up before slumping back down with a pained grumble. Thomas murmured, weakly, "A moment."

Uzume could observe that Thomas was past feigning sleep and was just now struggling to get up. Uzume glanced up and took a slow breath, before saying, "Alright. I'll head out. Don't take too long." She then patted Thomas on the top of his head, with Thomas murmuring weakly in response, before Uzume got back up and walked off to the exit.

Thomas sighed, as he once more tried to get back up. Unfortunately for him, despite the sleep, he still had that feeling of restlessness. He did sleep as much as the others, but he still felt it wasn't enough. If not for Uzume, he probably would've tried to sleep another hour or so.

As Thomas turned and sat up, he rubbed the back of his head, still kinda hearing Uzume's wake-up call echo in his head. He then stopped, thinking as the words echoed. It took him a moment before he tilted his head, trying to make a comparison. For this whole time, during this adventure, he's had some dreams that he struggled to remember. The only thing he could remember was that it involved a familiar voice. At least, it sounded familiar, but he couldn't really pin it on anyone. Until just now, anyway.

He shook his head. Even if it was true, and if he was absolutely sure Uzume was the source of this mysterious voice, what of it? A voice in a dream he couldn't remember could mean anything. Still, this was something that would just add to his list of worries.

Getting up, Thomas had another concern to think about while getting ready to rejoin the party. He knew that eventually he would have to deal with it sooner or later. However, this was something that he was feeling at a loss to deal with.

The latest party member.

* * *

There was a bit of commotion from the main camp earlier in the morning, as the guards came upon the scene of Neptune and Noire blissfully sleeping near the cannon on one of the hilltops. While it was innocent enough of a scene, the guards did see Noire holding Neptune as though she were a new pillow, holding the Planeptune CPU up to her chest while sleeping soundly. Of course, one of the guards made the poor mistake of waking Noire up in the midst of this scene. The self-conscious Noire was soon aware, and after some freaking out and yelling, Noire and Neptune woke up fully and left the scene.

This didn't stop some of the commotion, much to Noire's annoyance and Neptune's amusement. Neptune missed this, seeing Noire's reaction to a little embarrassing scene. Well, at least it was a little embarrassing for Noire. Neptune didn't think it was that bad, really. After all, Noire finally got some needed rest and was back to being her normal, tsundere self.

"It's nothing! Really!" Noire huffed, "I was just getting some needed sleep. Neptune was just nearby, that's all!"

"Sure, I believe you," IF said in a tone that indicated that she did not care either way. IF knew this wouldn't really stop Noire. A small smirk crossed IF's lips as Noire once again stammered, "Why doesn't anyone believe me? Urgh, this is all your fault, Neptune."

"Oh, relax, Noire," Neptune cheerfully said, "Nothing bad really happened. Besides, if anything, your popularity should go up a bit now that you've warmed up to your supposed rival."

"That's not what happened at all!" Noire exclaimed, as the rest of the party was getting together near a supply tent.

Uzume and Thomas were last to arrive, and Uzume hopped over to say her piece while Thomas quietly stayed back, "Sorry it took a while. Had to drag someone out of their sleep. Everyone slept well?"

"Best bed I ever had!" Neptune teased, leaving Noire to cross her arms and give a small pout.

"I slept alright," Nepgear replied to Uzume, "The cots are certainly better than having to sleep on the ground."

"The ground doesn't bother me at all," Plutia said, "Sleeping under the stars is so relaxing."

"Well, so long as everyone got some rest, that is good," IF said, before turning to Noire, "So, lady Noire? Have you thought about our next course of action?"

Noire refocused herself on the more serious topic, pondering aloud, "Either go straight through or somehow sneak in. Assuming we can actually break these barriers."

"From what I read from that tome," Uni said, "We just need more share energy to deal with these barriers. With you helping out, I'm sure we'll have enough people to break that barrier."

"In other words," Neptune smiled to Noire, "Please help us, oh noble lady Noire!"

"Stop," Noire narrowed her eyes, saying with a deadpan delivery, "You're only going to embarrass me further. Nooo."

Neptune simply brightened her smile, while Noire sighed. "Alright, alright," Noire said, "I mean, we will do this together. I never said I wouldn't welcome your help."

IF nodded, "Some of us were debating the points earlier, lady Noire." She pointed out the barrier in front of the cannons, "Lady Blanc mentioned this would be the quickest way to get through. Quick, of course, but it could get messy."

"I'm fine with either option, really," Blanc admitted, "I just don't like to go back after coming out so far. Backtracking is a bit of a pain."

She motioned north, "Thomas said we could sneak in through the subway. It would take longer, and there may be more dangers that way. Still, if we can get through that, we might find a way to deal with that carrier on our own and save the city from some damage."

"Oh?" Noire blinked, glancing over at Thomas, who closed his eyes, losing himself in thought.

"We figured, since you're the CPU of this nation, perhaps you would like to make the decision here," IF crossed her arms.

Noire turned back to IF, "A-anyway, I've decided. Let's go through the subway. I know a few passages down there. Even if those invaders are up to something, we could get around it."

"And if not?" Blanc asked.

"Then I start slashing," Noire stated, "At the very least, we can keep the fighting to our own party." She turned her head away to see the closest guard, "Guard?"

"Lady Noire!" The female guard NPC rushed up to the group, reporting to the goddess.

"Meet with LSN and inform them to hold their position," Noire ordered, "Also, refrain from firing the cannons unless you're under attack. Myself and the other goddesses will deal with the barriers. If that carrier does make a move towards the camp, try to contact us as soon as possible. Did you get all that?"

"Understood," the guard nodded, "We'll try to contact you if things on our end deteriorate. It will be difficult with the robots running interference, however."

"I understand," Noire said, "Do what you can, and make sure everyone is kept safe. I don't want anyone taking risks."

"Aye," the guard took note, "Will that be all, my lady?"

"Yeah," Noire nodded, "And, take care of yourself, okay?"

The guard blinked, and bowed her head, "O-of course. We'll be careful, lady Noire. You all be careful too."

With a quick salute, the guard headed off to meet with LSN, as everyone in the party looked back to Noire. Noire sighed, "I hope this works. Would hate to waste all that time walking for it to be for nothing."

"Oh yeah, speaking of!" Neptune remembered something, and had to ask, "I'm sure you all didn't just drag these cannons here by foot, right? You got to have some sort of transport, right?"

Noire sweatdropped, "Oh, yeah, about that..."

IF grimaced, "Lemme guess. Lastation drivers."

"Iffy, don't say something like that!" Compa scolded her friend, "You know it's not nice to make generalizations!"

Noire frowned, "Uni, the trucks are still toppled over, huh?"

Uni shared Noire's expression, "Yep. They're still in that ditch over there." Uni pointed to the west, where there are several dips in the terrain as could be seen at this distance. Deceptively so, actually. Since our camera's free roam, we can take a better look!

From where the party was, you could only see a few dips, but if we got any closer, we could see a huge gap in one of the areas. In an effort to transport cannons to their locations, these trucks have gone through high and low to get those things and bring them here. Anyway, despite all this, it seems even the best drivers of Lastation have all made a similar mistake at once point, driving into this muddy ditch. While no one seems to have been hurt, the trucks have piled up and filled up this ditch rather nicely. Unfortunately, that means no more trucks available.

"They **all** drove into that one ditch?" IF asked, "I was joking that maybe they all went joyriding and wrecked the vehicles, but-"

"They did," Uni stated, "A bunch of yahoos decided to hijack our trucks and drive like lunatics. Then, for some stupid, unknown reason, they thought it would be funny to fill up the ditch with trucks. There's a freakin' firewall here, robots invading, and these people decided it was time to be stupid!"

"Suffice to say, we're lucky we got these cannons where we brought them," Noire added, "But we would have to look elsewhere if we need more transports."

"We don't have anything else to use?" Compa asked.

Noire shook her head, "Not unless we go for a long detour."

"We have enough with backtracking," IF noted, "Let's just stick to using our feet for this journey."

"Aww, boo," Plutia complained, but knew she was going to have to walk again at some point.

"Did you catch the meanies who dumped all those trucks?" Rom looked to Uni.

"Oh, yeah, we did," Uni said coldly, "But thankfully, they didn't hurt themselves with this stunt. Seriously, what the hell were they thinking? This isn't a bloody sandbox game."

Neptune shook her head, "Personally, they should've just watched the Triple C if they wanted some driving mayhem. I guess some people just can't help themselves, even in a crisis."

"Sorry about that," Uni grumbled, "Even with LSN helping out, it seems we still have security issues."

"Oh well," Neptune shrugged, "Much as I would like a royal carriage to whisk us away to our destination! Alas, it is not to be!"

"Ah yes, the royal truck, a purely majestic breed," Blanc said dryly, as the party started getting ready to go.

"Anything with a lot of horsepower has got to be, like, a super horse, right?" Neptune joked in her response.

Even as Blanc and IF both rolled their eyes at this, the party seemed at ease for the most part. With the identities of the mischief makers left unknown to us, the party got ready and departed north. As for the trucks, I'm sure once this is all over, there'll be at least one tow truck being of use. Either that or they could get a giant Dogoo to pull them out. Just spitballing here. No?

* * *

The party returned to the Lastation Plains, going through the path that was thankfully cleared of obstacles thanks to the efforts of Blanc earlier. Despite having cleared the way straight to Parap Station, there were still some other obstacles in the way. The monster mobs respawned within the area, and so they would have to clear the way once more. Oh hey, that owl from earlier's even going the same direction as the party. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's another new party member.

Anyway, with Noire joining the party, there was a bit of reorganizing of battle rows. The national leaders of Neptune, Blanc, and Noire joined with Nepgear at the front row, while Uni decided to remain back with her weaponry to cover Compa and the Lowee twins. It was assumed that Thomas would also be in the back row. Much to the surprise of nearly everyone, Thomas moved up to join with IF, Plutia, and Uzume in the middle row.

"Hmm?" IF looked a bit puzzled by this development, "I didn't expect you to be more confident, Thomas."

"It's more to make use of my agility," Thomas admitted, "I can run around to offer support to the front or back if need be. I'll stay close to the back if things get heated, though."

"Alright," IF said as she shook her arms, trying to warm up for whenever the next fight hits, "That makes a little more sense."

"I think Tommy just wants to be in the middle of a group full of cute girls," Plutia teased, glancing up as though she was in thought.

"That makes even more sense," IF said, keeping her stoic expression from earlier so that she could play along with the joke.

Thomas winced, feeling like he was caught in something, "Th-that's not true at all." Whether he was lying or not, it was hard for the others to tell.

"So we're not cute?" Plutia tilted her head. Uzume joined in on the head motion as well, curious how he'd react.

"That was not what I meant at all, either," Thomas grumbled.

"Yay, Tommy thinks we're cute!" Plutia beamed a little, clapping her hands together. Thomas sweatdropped soon after. Uzume continued with a blank stare.

IF shook her head, "The jig is up, Thomas. We have you figured out, now. That innocent act won't fly any more."

"You two are terrible," Thomas said dully, "Maybe I should head to the back row."

"Hehe, just kidding with you," Plutia said, "I don't mind you being a little closer... hehehe."

IF shook her head at Plutia, "Uh, yeah. Look, it doesn't matter which row you take. So long as you help us out. Isn't that right?"

Plutia nodded, "Uh huh! Let's all work together!"

Uzume, who had blanked out briefly, soon jumped in, blurting out, "Absolutely! Nothing wrong with some good ol' teamwork!"

Thomas blinked, "Uh, of course." He said before checking his scabbard, making sure the blade was ready for this trip, "Let's get to it, then. Shall we?"

After the three girls turned back to follow the party, with Uzume feeling a bit warm under the collar, Thomas frowned a little. He was readying himself for this next leg in the journey. Now, it was time to show he was committed. He had his usual reservations, but now, he had something to prove.

Apparently, he was not the only one who had something to prove.

In a world where the goddesses generally competed against one another, it stood to reason that this extended to the battlefield, even when they were on the same side. Blanc and Neptune competed a bit for props from the rest of the party. while Blanc would try to fulfill his role as tank, Neptune was interested in just showing off. This bit of competition spread down to some of the others, as Uni wanted to impress Noire, and Ram wanted to put some extra effort in her magic.

In a strange twist of events, the two who tried the most were Noire and Thomas. It made a little sense for Noire, as she had just joined the party and wanted to show her fighting skills. Wielding a rapier, Noire relied on her versatile nature, being able to move quickly and strike with finesse. Unlike Neptune, who picked out whatever was in front of her at the time or whatever she felt like hitting, Noire was constantly thinking of who, where, and when to hit. She was no slouch when it came to strength, either. In other words, she really was trying to do everything.

Thomas, in contrast, was nowhere near the level of finesse or strength Noire had. Nonetheless, he grew more aggressive in the latest battles against the monster mobs. Even though he cringed at another Visual Novel calling him a meanie, he pushed himself to be of use. Whether it would be interrupting an enemy, or restoring someone's SP, Thomas was taking a more active role in the battle.

Although these two were trying harder, it was becoming clear that they were not trying to show off to the other party members. Instead, it appeared as though they were actively trying to prove to each other what they could do. In doing so, though, they seemed to be irritating each other.

For Noire, it was pretty obvious why. It was true that both her and Thomas were tactically-minded individuals. Both were inclined to adapt to the situation and take advantage of any potential weakness. However, Noire couldn't help but notice how inexperienced and awkward Thomas was at fighting. It was like watching someone trying to match her finesse, but being as crude as Neptune's earlier days, wielding that wooden katana of hers. It was rather painful to watch.

What was worse was that it was proving effective, that even her sister Uni had adapted to this. In one battle against a group of Chocopi, Thomas brought down a hovering bird with his Raster Interrupt skill, before quickly hopping back and to the left. The dazed bird was a perfect target for Uni, who finished it off with her sniper shot. This was all right close to Noire, who had planned to deal with the bird herself, but was surprised to see Thomas and Uni coordinating a one-two attack. It wasn't even a combination skill. Thomas looked back and gave an approving nod to Uni, who gave a little thumbs up in return. Thomas then shot a small glance at Noire, before returning back to his position in the middle row, waiting for his next turn.

Noire knew what Thomas was doing. It would be nice if they told me about it, but no, it looked as though they were still focused on proving whatever points they had to each other.

Noire was not innocent in all of this, either. The most noticeable example was when Thomas was ready to strike at an Alraune earlier. These plant girl monsters had resurfaced at the Lastation Plains after the earlier battles have damaged much of the region. In any case, Thomas was ready to do a quick stab at one of these creatures. Before he could take a step forward -

 **"Tornado Sword!"**

Well, that happened. Noire's rapier flared up with energy, and she lunged out at it, hitting it for tremendous damage. Naturally, it was more than enough to take down the Alraune. Thomas was only going to stab it, but here Noire was taking it down in one shot. Thomas sweatdropped, as he felt a breeze blow by. The sheer force of Noire's skill was felt nearby, and it made him rather nervous.

Another example happened later, in another battle versus some Chocopi. Not one to be worried about flying enemies, Noire unleashed her Lacy Dance attack on one of the birds. Charging up to it, she launched it up with a quick attack, followed by a few twirling jump kicks. She then leaped up once more to twirl and slash through with her blade, landing with a flashy pose. As this was done in front of Thomas, who was waiting in the middle row, Noire made sure to add a small flourish, and now it was her turn to give Thomas a glance, as though to make sure he was paying attention.

He was. Noire then tossed aside one of her twintails that flew in front of her, turning back to deal with the rest of the battle, while Thomas grimaced. He murmured under his breath, with only the word "everything" being audible, before returning to battle.

The two would continue to try and show what they've got, and it was not being unnoticed by the other members of the group. Despite the obvious antics between the two, no one was really too interested to jump in. It was almost as though they expected this, or they were unwilling to get in the way.

All the members, save for two, who happened to be in the middle row. After the last battle, as the party resumed their way to Parap Station, Plutia felt a little poke on her shoulder. "Aah!" Plutia said in surprise, not expecting a poke so suddenly. She turned her head around to see that Uzume had been the culprit.

"Uzume, you big meanie," Plutia pouted, "Don't surprise me like that!"

Uzume winced, "Uhh, sorry Plutsy. I didn't mean to startle ya." She then cleared her throat, "Also, keep it down, would ya?"

"Hmm?" Plutia tilted her head, "What is it?"

Uzume wondered if it was a good idea to ask Plutia this, "Did you notice what's been going on with Tomsy and Noirsy during our trip?"

Plutia's eyes widened, "I was going to ask about that!"

"You were?" Uzume asked, as she looked around to make sure the others were not listening.

"Uh huh," Plutia nodded slowly, as she also gave a look around, "I can't say that I know this Noire, or that I know Tommy, but they are both acting kinda funny."

"Right," Uzume said as she raised a fist, "I've seen Tomsy be a little motivated, but this seems a bit more than that."

"I, I know," Plutia said as she looked a little conflicted, "I kinda like seeing Tommy when he's fired up, but this doesn't seem right. And Noire? I don't know this Noire, but when the Noire where I live acted like this, I would know something was up." She paused, then frowned, "Are they fighting?"

"They certainly were fighting the monsters," Uzume said, "But it certainly looked like they were squaring off against each other."

"That's not good at all!" Plutia looked a little angry, which was not something Uzume wanted to see. "Do I have to go and sort this out?"

Uzume shook her hands in front of Plutia, "Woahwoahwoah, we can't be certain of this yet."

"I don't like when people are fighting each other," Plutia closed her eyes, not looking too pleased, "I'm gonna go talk to them."

"Wait!" Uzume exclaimed, before bringing down her voice again, barely able to keep Plutia's attention, "If we go all-in and confront them, it might even get worse. Let's try to be discreet with this."

"I don't want to," Plutia muttered, "But alright. If you have an idea, let's try it out, for now."

Plutia then turned, staring at her ally with an impatient look. Plutia was not one to hold back, so you better have something in mind, Uzume.

"R-right!" Uzume spoke out, before again toning down her volume, "We should keep an eye on the both of them. Find out anything that could explain all of this. We then meet up, discuss what we've found, and go from there."

"I dunno," Plutia said, "I'm not all that into being a spy."

"Ah!" Uzume raised one of her hands, "I got it. We can play peacekeeper. I follow one person while you follow the other. If things get really bad, we can then step in to sort it out. If it they're still being weird, but not terrible, we could still try and find out what their problem is. Discreetly."

"Well, I was gonna transform and jump in if those two really fight each other," Plutia said, "But sure. I'm gonna keep an eye on Noire. You follow Tommy."

"Uh, sure?" Uzume seemed surprised, "I'm surprised, Plutsy, I thought you were gonna debate with me on who to follow first."

"Hehe," Plutia giggled, "Believe me, I wouldn't mind following either person. It's just that, even if this isn't the Noire from my dimension, I'm sure the two are similar. The Noire back home, she and I are best friends, you know? I know a whollllllle lot."

"Really?" Uzume smiled, "I guess that means you might be able to find out after all."

"Mmhmm," Plutia beamed, "We knew each other from even before either of us were CPUs. So, I figured, I would be better suited to the role if I followed Noire here."

"Alright, then leave Tomsy to me," Uzume nodded, "In fairness, it's not like we've known each other before, but I did notice the guy's pretty comfortable around me, so maybe I can help him deal with whatever issue he and Noirsy have."

"He seems comfortable being around all the other girls, though," Plutia said, mildly teasing, "I'm sure you'll manage somehow."

"You'll see," Uzume clenched her hand, "I'll find a way to make him talk!"

Plutia paused, before teasingly saying in a soft whisper, "I thought we weren't going to do that."

Uzume flinched at the teasing, closing her eyes and shaking, "Nonono, Uzume explicitly doesn't want that! Plutia would transform and that, that is, like, totally scary and not super fun at all."

"I respectfully disagree," Plutia giggled, as Uzume cringed at what was going through her mind.

How would the two heroines fare in this plan? Will Plutia be able to hold onto her patience? Will they be able to remove the barrier at Parap Station? And, if so, what sort of dangers will they face down in the subway tunnels? Oh, I guess we should ask why Thomas and Noire were acting like this. That might be important. We may find out more in the next chapter.


	40. ACT III: Station Break

**Chirper event detected!**

 **Noire's icon appeared, declaring in the most simplest of terms, "We're taking the city back."**

* * *

"Lady Noire! Lady Uni!" Lt. Gabriel, still stationed outside of Parap Station, quickly stood to attention, "The CPUs? You've all returned?"

"At ease, Lieutenant," Noire waved her hand a little, "We've decided to come back here to finish what Uni and the others started. Did anything change since they last left?"

Gabriel only relaxed his shoulders, turning his head to the entrance, where a few soldiers were waiting by. He then turned back to Noire, "We've managed to secure the first floor and encountered very little resistance. In fact, it's been too calm down there. No new mines. No large robot mobs. No new obstacles. We can even get close to that barrier in the subway tunnel." Gabriel scowled, "I don't like this. It's like they're waiting."

"They've been holding back while over at the city, too," Noire held a hand at her hip, wondering aloud, "Just what could they actually be doing?" After a beat, Noire asked Gabriel, "How are people doing here?"

"Given the circumstances, they're holding up well," Gabriel remarked, "Many wish to return to their homes, and they're holding onto their faith that we'll be able to, soon. Seeing the CPUs from Lowee and Planeptune show up has given us more hope."

Noire nodded slowly, "That's... that's good! Alright, tell them to hold position. I am going down to that barrier with the other CPUs."

"Understood," the lieutenant bowed his head, "Uh, may I suggest your party rest a moment? I do not know what lies in the tunnels ahead, but being well-rested and supplied before going in might be beneficial."

"W-well," Noire blinked, as she was eager to get going, but as she looked back on the party, she relented, "S-sure, but only for a little while. After all, I am certain everyone is counting on us. We can't take too long."

"Of course," the lieutenant nodded, before he moved on to show Noire where she can get some supplies. The rest of the party soon moved about in the small camp for a brief respite.

Thomas, who stayed quiet near the end of that stretch, was ready to go sit back down and read a book quietly, when he felt a pull on his hoodie, dragging him back.

"We need to talk," he heard the voice of the Guild agent IF, speaking sternly as she pulled him back, "Now."

"Guh!" Thomas was pulled back by the stronger IF as she pulled him away from everyone, moving to a quiet spot around the camp. Unbeknownst to the both of them, the two were quietly tailed by Uzume Tennouboshi, as part of Operation Stop Feuding or whatever the name was for her latest plan.

Uzume quietly admitted in an aside, "Sounds fine. Now, shut up and let me eavesdrop."

Fine, you're on your own next time you have another operation to name. Anyway, as Uzume sat down at a safe distance to listen in, IF stopped and let go of Thomas. Thomas rebalanced himself and turned around, only to have IF jab a finger at his chest, "Alright, Thomas. Spill it."

"Uh, IF?" Thomas was confused as IF looked frustrated with him.

IF frowned, "I'm not blind, or stupid. Just what the hell are you trying to pull here?" Thomas continued to look puzzled, before IF added, "Seriously? I'm talking about how you were fighting out there."

Thomas winced, and his expression grew a little sour, "O-oh..."

"Yes. Oh." IF paused to shake her head, sighing. "Look," IF kept a calm tone in her voice, "I don't quite understand what your history was with Noire, or what was with her while you two tried to show off. I don't want to be involved in whatever issue you two have with each other..."

Thomas looked to one side, while IF continued to speak, "It's just that you're getting to be a little reckless with this. I've seen you being stubborn on more than one occasion on this journey. It might have paid off in some of those instances, but you shouldn't be forcing yourself. You want us to protect you, right?"

Thomas' eyes widened, recalling something, and had a deep sigh, "M-my apologies. You're right, IF. I, I shouldn't have been so reckless. The last thing I want is to have another disaster."

IF looked away from Thomas briefly, as Uzume ducked out of visual range, "Honestly. I don't know about you, sometimes. In any case, knock it off. I don't want to see you hurt... that would reflect badly on all of us who promised to keep you safe." IF coughed a bit after that correction, "Also, that issue with Noire?"

After a moment, Thomas asked, "Yes?"

"Fix it," IF said after a glare, before starting to move out, "I'm going to get some supplies while we can. Just, try not to do something stupid like that again."

Thomas closed his eyes, bowing his head as IF went off past him and back to the camp proper. He sighed, murmuring, "Easier said than done." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling pretty bad for himself and what he was being tasked with.

Uzume, overhearing all of this, worked up enough courage to go up and ask. Unfortunately for her, just as she was walking into view to meet with Thomas, someone else showed up as well.

"Hey Tom-Tom, can I talk to y-oh, hello Uzume!" Compa flashed a smile as she was just a tad quicker to meet with Thomas, who quickly composed himself.

"Oh, hey there, Compsy, Tomsy," Uzume nodded as she tried to be casual, as though she strolling in.

Thomas blinked a bit, wondering how this out-of-the-way spot suddenly got popular. He attempted to keep his composure, "Uh, hello, you two." His eyes turned to the nurse, "So, Compa? Was there something you need to talk to me about?"

There was an awkward pause, as the three people had their own separate issues to sort out, and things they did not want to share with everyone.

For Compa, she was here to check in and ask if Thomas was still feeling restless, or anything involving whatever dreams he had. She had checked on Uzume to ask about whether she still had her dream-related powers. She did not want to tell Thomas about that, feeling that it was something Uzume was going to have to bring up at some point. At the same time, she did not want to break her promise to keep Thomas' issues a secret. If she asked so soon after that talk with Uzume, the goddess would add two and two together, and that would be that. It was a bit of a conundrum for the Planeptune nurse.

For Thomas, he was already having to deal with what IF just told him. However, with Uzume and Compa around, he also remembered that he might not add to his troubles. He wasn't sure if the recurring dreams he's had really did have Uzume's voice, or that it mattered. Still, admitting it might be a little embarrassing or weird.

For Uzume, she wanted to ask about his issues with Noire, but would rather ask alone if it could be possible. It was true that for some odd reason, she wanted to know more about Thomas' backstory, or what happened in the times where she wasn't around. Admittedly, she had been rather nosey, but she had to know. Plus, she did not want to see this sort of behavior between the Lastation goddess and the former Planeptune worker.

Back to the group, Compa soon spoke, "Uh, yeah! Actually, I shall ask the both of you. I'm checking on everyone. Asking if you two have been feeling any different from the other day."

"The other day?" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"Yep!" Compa said simply, hoping it was a simple enough clue.

"Oh!" Uzume recalled, "Last time you asked. I'm still feeling well."

"Uh, right!" Thomas nodded, "I'm still feeling the same as before." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, so no real change?" Compa asked of the both of them.

Thomas shook his head, while Uzume laughed. "We're doing fine, Compsy. Besides, shouldn't you be checking on the people stationed here to see if they're alright?"

"Eep!" Compa looked worried, "I almost forgot! I'm gonna head off to the tent right away! Talk to you all later!" She waved, before rushing off in a panic.

Uzume shook her head, "Interesting priorities she's got there." She chuckled, before turning to see Thomas heading off towards the camp too, "Uh, Tomsy?"

Thomas waved a hand up, "I'm just going to grab some supplies while I can. Wanna come with?"

"Ah?" Uzume blinked, "Uh, nah, it's alright. Just gonna hang around the camp until it's time to go."

"Alright," Thomas said, "Catch ya later."

"Sure!" Uzume beamed. Thomas finally left the scene, leaving Uzume to realize she just missed her opportunity. "Guh! Damnit," Uzume grumbled, "That distraction cost me that brief window." She decided to wait until later to strike up a conversation. At the very least, she knew something was up.

Let's go check and see if Plutia's found anything.

* * *

After checking with a few of the people stationed at the camp, Noire and Uni decided to take a small break, resting by a fence of one of the nearby farms. Neither person was particularly tired, but they took the time to rest themselves. We join their conversation, already in progress.

"I'm glad to hear you've gotten some sleep, Noire," Uni said with a relieved look, "You look a lot better now than you did the last few days."

Noire closed her eyes, "Thanks, Uni. I'm sorry for worrying all of you like that. I hope that my display earlier was enough to show that I am more than ready for anything now."

"Uh, o-of course!" Uni sweatdropped. While it was true that Noire had shown more energy during the battles in the Plains, she wasn't sure she was trying to convince everyone, so much as she was trying to convince one.

"We will have to be very careful from here on in," Noire warned, "You'll be there to watch my back, right Uni?"

"I will!" Uni assured her, "If we get that barrier down, we'll need your help around those tunnels. Do you think our enemy knows about the layout?"

Noire paused, and tried to think about it, "I don't know. Given how they surprised much of Lastation, including us, we can't be sure how much these robots know of our subway system, or anything else. Hearing that these robots have been attacking from underground in the other nations bothers me, as well."

Uni frowned a little, "I feel a little uneasy about this. It's good that we have the others to help us here."

"Right, Uni," Noire nodded, "Since we'll do this with the other CPUs, we can hold together against whatever the invaders may be holding back."

"We'll be needing everyone's help in the party," Uni said, as she turned to see a few guards meeting with IF and Thomas in the distance to get some supplies, "Without the other CPUs, we have managed to take back much of the nation, thanks to the help from our citizens."

Noire hummed, "Yeah, I suppose we will need to work together, in certain situations."

Uni went on to the next point, "Imagine what we could do to whatever big boss they have if we can boost up your shares. I'm sure we can get Thomas to use that meditation move to up the damage."

"I don't need his help," Noire said quickly, not missing a beat, "I am perfectly fine with my base stats."

"Really, Noire?" Uni frowned, "Are you two still mad at each other? Can't you put all of that behind you and work from scratch?"

"It's not **that** simple, Uni," Noire leaned more against the fence, crossing her arms and shaking her head, muttering, "If only it were..." She then raised her voice again, "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I can handle things on my end. Besides, it seems you and him get along pretty well."

"Noire..." Uni still wasn't too happy to hear her sister like this.

"Heh, I'm proud of you, Uni," Noire smiled weakly, "You've done well at making new friends. Don't let it get in the way of your CPU training, though. I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're socializing more."

Uni flinched, "What? I've been training just as hard as before! I haven't gone soft in the slightest!"

Noire grinned, as her young sister took the bait, "Oh, really? Then I expect you to show that in the next area. You told me you handled yourself well earlier. I would like to see more of that."

Uni clenched her fists, "I'll show you that I can still do it, Noire! Just you watch!"

Noire nodded, "That's what I want to hear. Let's make sure those responsible for all these robot incursions regret messing with Lastation."

Uni clapped, laying off of the fence, "I won't let you down!" She cleared her throat, "I'm going to go check on what the camp has for supplies."

"Sure thing, Uni," Noire spoke as Uni turned to get ready to dash.

Uni paused, and turned her head, "It's not too late for you two to make amends, you know?"

Before Noire could respond, Uni quickly waved and dashed off to join the others for some supplies. Noire bit her lower lip, before breathing an audible sigh. It seemed as though she wasn't too sure of what Uni said.

Behind the fence, someone decided now was the time to pop up, beside Noire. The person popped up from the bushes, stretching with a yawn, "Ahhh~, that was interesting."

Noire jumped back, raising an arm instinctively to shield herself, before realizing who it was, "P-Plutia? What were you doing back there?"

"Hmm? Oh, hey Noire!" Plutia said happily, "I was looking for a place in the shade to rest. I was also doing a bit of sneaking around."

Noire eased down her arms, looking puzzled at the sleepy one, "Why would you be sneaking around?"

Plutia replied dreamily, "No reason."

"Oh. Kay?" Noire shook her head of it, "Next time, try not to jump out like that. You'll give some of our guards a fright."

"I would?" Plutia said with a tilt of her head, "I don't want to do that, to the guards, anyway. Hehe." Noire grew a little suspicious following that. Not that Plutia was hardly trying to hide anything.

Noire grimaced, "Anyway, I don't want to interrupt your rest so I'll... just... be... going..."

"Hold up!" Plutia exclaimed, before surprising Noire by flipping over the fence and landing beside her, "Mind if I tag along?" Plutia asked with hopeful eyes.

"Well," Noire hesitated, "O-okay. I'm just gonna go check on some people, though. It's not going to be very exciting."

"It's alright," Plutia said as she held her hands together, "I like to see how you, er, the Noire in this dimension does things!"

Noire blinked, "Really? S-sure! Maybe you can learn a thing or two! Try not to get in the way, though!" Noire flustered a bit as some thoughts went through her head. Why would Plutia be this interested?

She had heard from her counterpart in the Ultradimension a little about Plutia. The goddess of Planeptune in that dimension was the only friend that Noire really had, up until the events with Neptune and the others. Noire must've been a tad jealous that her counterpart found a friend long before she could. She's also heard about how Plutia was just as lazy as Neptune, not wanting to bother with work. However, perhaps this was a chance for Noire to show Plutia the wonders of helping out her nation, that maybe, just maybe, Plutia could take her role more seriously.

Meanwhile, Plutia mused, audibly teasing, "Noire's so cute when she's doing so much thinking."

Noire flustered, "H-hey! You're just saying that to get a reaction out of me, aren't you?"

Plutia glances away, "Mayyyyyybe."

Noire sighed, "Oh, whatever. I'm gonna go now." She quickly turned away to walk off. Plutia feigned taking her time to make a few mental notes to herself. It was possible that she may have heard what was said earlier between Noire and Uni.

Or she really was a bit slow in catching up to Noire, who was walking at a brisk pace.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else within the camp, Neptune and Nepgear were conversing with Lt. Gabriel, as he ordered a few of his people to keep an eye on the entrance.

"Ah, lady Neptune, miss Nepgear," Gabriel nodded to them before dismissing the last soldier receiving orders, "Communications have been difficult, but I have heard news from LSN. I like to thank you for your efforts."

"'Twas not a problem!" Neptune boasted, hands on her hips, "Didn't I tell you that it would be fine?"

Gabriel winced, "Uh, well, I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about the outcome." He coughed, "Huh, anyway, the results speak for themselves. My superiors were impressed with how you handled it."

"Goodness," Nepgear looked surprised as this was the first she heard of this, "Neptune? What was this all about?"

"Oh, just helping miss Lonely Heart catch up on some Z's," Neptune said to her sister.

"Oh! You did?" Nepgear blinked, "How did you manage to do that? Did you sing a sweet lullaby?"

"Somehow, that thought didn't cross my mind," Neptune admitted, "Also, I think Noire wouldn't have dozed off if she heard my dulcet tones."

"Oh, r-right," Nepgear sweatdropped, although it was more that Neptune thought Noire would want to stay up for Neptune's singing.

"My sources did not tell me how this was accomplished," Gabriel remarked, "Only that the guards saw the two of you sleeping. Perhaps the result of an exhausting duel where the two of you clashed blades to determine who was the strongest!"

"Goodness!" Nepgear exclaimed, "Neptune, why would you duel lady Noire? Wait, unless you were practicing with her. I can understand wanting to hone your skills, sis. Me and Uni practice now and then, so I can see our big sisters doing the same thing. Does that mean we've been copying practice sessions from our sisters? Or were they copying from us?"

"What? Nonononono," Neptune shook her head emphatically, "I didn't fight Noire at all!"

"Precisely," a voice called from behind them, "Even though Neptune would benefit from some training, honestly."

Both Nepgear and Gabriel jumped a bit in surprise, as Noire caught up to the group within the camp, having overheard what was being said. Further in the distance, Plutia was very slowly catching up, taking her sweet time to get there.

"Oh, hey Noire!" Neptune greeted her, not missing a beat, "Next time you need to hit the snooze button, would you like to hear me belt out a few tunes?"

"Pass," Noire said as she passed by Neptune, walking over to the man in uniform. Crossing her arms, she spoke to the lieutenant, "So, it was you that told Neptune about this."

"L-lady Noire," Gabriel briefly hesitated, standing to attention, "I merely informed her at the behest of my superiors."

"If any of you wanted to get my attention," Noire cut him off, "You could've simply went up to me and asked."

"My lady," Gabriel tried to be polite, "That was the problem. Many of our people tried to talk to you. Even your sister tried to get your attention. You either dismissed our concern or drifted off."

Noire winced, "Was it really that bad?"

Gabriel nodded, "At least, from what my superiors told me. I personally was not there to witness it. I am certain that lady Uni would corroborate my statement."

"Looks like all she needed was a little Nep in her life to make it all better!" Neptune teased.

"Th-that wasn't it at all!" Noire quickly flustered, "I was just thinking of ways to break through that barrier! So, seeing Neptune, I realized..."

"Whatever the case," Nepgear interrupted before this got more awkward for Noire, "It's good to see you're feeling a little better, lady Noire."

"Y-yeah, th-thanks," Noire nodded, before adding, "Uh, thanks for helping out, anyway, all of you."

"This is a little odd," Gabriel glanced away, trying not to let the scene get to him, "Being thanked by the lady herself."

"I was wondering when the dere part was going to show up," Neptune added, as Plutia finally caught up with the group.

"Sh-shut up!" Noire quickly spat out, before composing herself, "I was just getting around to thanking the lieutenant for his efforts in holding out here. Finding out all this other stuff was... unexpected."

"This was in part due to everyone else's help, including lady Neptune and the others who were here earlier," Gabriel admitted, scratching his chin, "I was even surprised to see a good portion of mines cleared out down below."

Plutia's eyes grew as she quickly jumped in, "Really? Do you need any more help clearing mines? Just say the magic word and I'll get the Plutia crab out in a jiffy! Hehehe..."

While Plutia looked extremely happy at the prospect, both Noire and Gabriel simply looked confused by her odd enthusiasm.

"Crab?" Noire asked.

Neptune laughed a little, "Oh, don't think much about it. It's just Plutia's way of clearing mines. The less said about it, the better."

"Uh, was it you who did the clearing?" Gabriel raised his eyebrows, "A crab, huh? Right now, we don't really need a crab or flail. The path you cleared earlier has been a boon to our engineers. We're just slowly making our way through to the tunnels."

"Have the robots come back since we left?" Nepgear asked.

Gabriel shook his head, looking a little sour, "No. They're still hiding behind that barrier of theirs. We've only had to deal with the odd monster mob or lone robot harassing us outside of our camp here. Nothing a few of our guys couldn't handle."

"Will this camp be alright while we head down there?" Nepgear looked behind her, to where she assumed the attacks would be coming from, as there was very little space between the camp, the farm buildings, and any land north.

"We can handle ourselves here," Gabriel noted, "Just please, if you can get through that barrier, hurry and save Lastation. Our people want to be back in their homes and free of this."

"We will!" Neptune said confidently, as Noire closed her eyes to go into her thoughts. Although Noire was confident that they could save Lastation, there was another problem she had to face. No, not the little tiff involving her and Thomas.

She was concerned about how much of the city she could save. Perhaps we shall see how the city could be saved in the coming chapters. What do you think, owl who followed our party to this camp?

The owl turned its gaze away from the party, looking up at the firewall with its giant, extremely shiny eyes. Uhhh, those eyes shouldn't be that shiny. And they should have some pupils in them. I'm starting to think that was not your run-of-the-mill owl watching our heroes.

I don't like this at all.


	41. ACT III: Celebrity

**("Welcome to the New Year! At least, as of this chapter's publication. Please enjoy this little filler bit. The next chapter is a little bigger than I expected but it should be fine. In response to recent feedback, I have to admit feeling a little lost there. I'm hoping not to overuse Mr. OC Thomas, but I can't have him faded into the background either. Then again, I feel similar with the other characters here. I guess I can understand the writers of the Neptunia franchise when they are told to write for a vast lineup of characters. I'll just do what I can, in any case." - A sad and confused author.)**

* * *

After a little rest and resupply, the party was guided by the Lastation forces stationed at Parap Station down towards the subway tunnel. Lieutenant Gabriel followed along as well, if only to make sure the other guards were holding up. The few engineers were careful going over areas the Plutia crab didn't roll over, checking for any leftover surprises.

At the last level, the few guards near the tunnel were called back by Gabriel. "Alright," Gabriel said, "The goddesses will try to break through that barrier. Should they succeed, we'll begin pulling back towards the camp."

"Hmm?" Compa tilted her head at the man, "Heading back?"

"Well, yes," Gabriel noted, "You'll take care of things from here, and we have to keep an eye on the entrance, as well as protect the few families around here. The camp's been harassed more from the outside lately."

"Alright, be careful out there," IF said with a wave to Gabriel and the remaining guards.

"We will," Gabriel said with a nod, "You as well."

"One more thing," Neptune interjected, before motioning Gabriel to follow her a moment, "Mister Gabe, a moment of your time?"

"Oh?" The lieutenant was confused by this, as he turned to the other guards, "Stay here." He then followed Neptune away from the group down the small area in front of the tunnel.

"So, Gabe," Neptune said happily as she checked through her inventory, "Since you've been kind enough to deal with our antics, I think you should have a memento for the occasion."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "That isn't necessary, lady Neptune. I was simply doing what was asked of me."

"Oh, don't be like that," Neptune complained, "I insist you accept this!" She searched through her inventory, which was far more disorganized than it needed to be. After some more searching, Neptune finally found what she was looking for, and pulling it out of a stack, "Got it! Alright, which one would be perfect for - aha! - Here you go!"

Gabriel was handed something that looked like some paper at first glance. However, his eyes soon widened at what was on it, "Where did you get this?"

"Never you mind that," Neptune said, "I just have a few copies so I thought I would share-"

"Neptune!" The voice of a panicked Noire called right behind her.

"Nep!" Neptune was actually surprised as she thought Noire would still be hanging with the rest of the group.

"Don't tell me you have copies of some of those photos?" Noire said as she stared at one of the photos taken from an old photo shoot. It was meant to show Noire busy at work, but Noire felt a little awkward about how they turned out. She felt they weren't as professional as she thought they would be, and might be a bit too provocative. At least, she thought that was reason enough to, in the end, toss them away. Neptune, unfortunately for Noire, seemed to have some of these copies, for whatever reason.

"I may have stumbled on some discarded photos," Neptune said with a polite shrug, "I don't know. My art gallery section's pretty big, so I don't remember where all the CG came from!"

"I knew I should've put them in a shredder," grumbled Noire, before blurting out, "It doesn't matter where, Neptune! D-d-don't be giving those away to people!"

Neptune raised a finger to her chin, feigning surprise, "Really? I just thought they were meant as a calling card or some publicity photo to autograph."

"It was too much!" Noire flustered some, "I can change my mind on these things, you know! If these things got out, I'd-"

"This is a nice photo," Gabriel interjected, trying to keep a calm demeanor, even as his cheeks were visibly tinged, "It shows lady Noire seated at one of the desks she commonly works at. But, of course, if the lady feels that this is too indecent or unprofessional of a goddess always at work, then I must refuse the photo. With due apologies, lady Neptune."

Neptune sighed, "That's a real shame, Gabe. I was looking to make it up to you, and your dear devotion to your nation's goddess." She hummed, "Guess that can't be helped."

Before Gabriel could return the photo, Noire snatched it from his firm grasp, surprising even him with how easily it was done. Noire visibly shook as she looked at the photo, her mind racing between several thoughts. In truth, it was a tame photo, shot at a decent angle. Still, Noire felt rather embarrassed after seeing the final product. It didn't help that Neptune got her hands one some.

Noire fiercely sighed, "F-f-fine!" She pulled a marker out of her inventory, and intensely scribbled on a part of the photo. After that display, she put away her marker, and gave the photo back to Gabriel, "H-here! Th-this is for having to deal with Neptune and her friends, and for all the work so far around here. Th-that's all!"

Gabriel froze in place for a few seconds, taking the photo from a stammering Noire, and slowly glancing down to see Noire attempting a signature. She clearly made some effort, adding a shaded heart instead of a dot above the 'i' in her name, and even writing down her CPU name right below in cursive style. Even with Noire seeming frustrated, she made definite effort to make a flashy, cute signature.

The man tried to remain stoic, even as he was awestruck by the display put forth, "U-understood, lady Noire. Do not fear. I shall hang onto this. By that, I mean I shall treasure this memento."

"Good!" Noire crossed her arms, "Please do." She struggled to add more, as this was already awkward for her.

Gabriel murmured, "A signed photo from the goddess. Amazing. Sam's gonna be real jealous when I show this."

"Hmm?" Noire tilted her head at the soldier, "What was that about?"

"Nothing!" Gabriel cleared his throat, looking away as he stored away the photo, before looking to where the others were waiting, "It looks like I am not the only one getting mementos of this occasion."

Both Noire and Neptune blinked, turning their heads to see some of the guards talking with the others.

* * *

One of the female guards knelt down as she getting into a photo shot with Blanc, Rom and Ram. Another guard was holding a camera, motioning for the Lowee girls to group together with the guard.

"I can't wait to send this to my friend in Lowee," the kneeling guard seemed excited, "They might be a little envious."

"It's also to show the people back home that we're working hard!" Ram exclaimed, "Ain't that right, Rom?"

"Mmhmm!" Rom nodded, "Let's do a super pose for the photo!"

"Yeah!" Ram grinned, "That won't be too hard for us! We're doing a V for Victory pose?"

Rom nodded once more, as the two got to each side of the guard, readying to make their pose for the camera. Meanwhile, Blanc, who had kept quiet, looked a little bothered as she walked up behind the three people. She quietly mumbled under her breath, which drew the attention of the female guard.

"Oh! Is something the matter, lady Blanc?" The guard asked, turning her head to look a little up at the Lowee CPU.

"Uh, n-no, it's okay," Blanc shook her head, "I'm just not used to posing for photos."

"We got your back, Big Sis!" Ram beamed, "Actually, you take our backs. Just stand behind us and look all regal and goddess-like!"

"Lady Blanc, stand right around here," the kneeling guard gestured beside her, where the guard holding the camera was pointing as well. Rom even made a bit of space for Blanc to step in.

"Alright," Blanc said, inching into the position, barely standing over the guard. Noticing that she was not at a great height advantage, being less than 5 feet tall, Blanc quietly whimpered. She then spoke, "Do you need to be kneeling down for this picture?"

"I just want to be at level with the twins here," the guard said happily, "Makes for a better shot, don't you think?"

"I agree!" Rom beamed, "It makes you look like all our Big Sis, Blanc!"

Ram, being only a little more perceptive, said, "Yeah, Blanc! You're really standing tall behind all of us!"

Blanc winced at Ram's observation, before trying to stand as tall as she could behind the guard, who was oblivious to Blanc simmering in the back. The person holding the camera smiled, "Everyone's in the frame! Good! Get ready to make your pose."

While Blanc struggled to think of a good pose beyond copying the twins' "V" with one hand, another guard was chatting with Uni about the shotgun she was wielding. Nepgear was nearby to listen in on the topic.

"So you do have a recoil pad," the guard observed, "It looked like a pretty powerful shotgun, so I wondered if you have to deal with any recoil."

"Of course there's some recoil," Uni said as she turned the shotgun to show the small padding on the buttstock, "I had to make a few modifications on this one so I can keep it at the length I like. It handles pretty well, I think, but I can still feel a bit of recoil."

"Only a bit?" the guard asked, surprised, "You must be plenty strong to hold still using that. Oh, sorry, my manners, m'lady, to say that of a goddess or candidate."

"I-it's nothing," said Uni with a small sigh, "Even a CPU or CPU candidate needs to make sure they can handle the weapon they're holding. It's especially true if you have a varied arsenal."

Nepgear took out her saber, taking a moment to look over the weapon, thinking of possible upgrades or customization. The guard, seeing this, and the group photo being taken, had an idea, "Uh, miss Nepgear, lady Uni, may I take a picture of the two of you with your weapons drawn? I'd be happy if the both of you were in this."

"Really?" Uni blinked, "Sure. I don't mind showing off the modifications here." She held the shotgun back up, though careful not to aim it at anyone.

"Not sure why I would fit into this, eheh," Nepgear laughed nervously, "This saber hasn't really been upgraded."

The guard laughed a little, rubbing the back of her head, "Well, it's more that I could get a photo of two of the CPU candidates side by side."

"Oh, if that's all, I have no problems!" Nepgear said with a goofy smile, as Uni winced at that reaction.

"That'd be fantastic! Hold on a second!" The guard set aside her rifle as she brought out her phone, setting up her camera, "Can you two go back-to-back with your weapons out? It would allow me to get a better shot of your weapon, lady Uni."

Uni nodded slowly, "Okay. Be sure you get a good angle so you can see the modifications I made here." She tried to hold her shotgun up for a pose, while trying to allow the guard a better view, keeping it steady.

Uni soon flinched as Nepgear quickly turned and bumped her back against hers, "Nepgear! Watch it there."

"Oh, sorry!" Nepgear was quick to apologize, "I got a bit excited. This feels like we're getting ready for an action movie trailer or poster shot! Our heroines are all alone against insurmountable odds! They only have each other to trust! Backs against each other as they struggle against an unseen evil!"

Uni just shook her head, trying to push back against Nepgear's initial push, as they make with the action pose, "For crying out loud, Nepgear, don't get carried away!" She sighed, "Looks like you've inherited Neptune's imagination."

As the two tried to make the best pose for their shot, IF and Thomas were leaning against a wall that was checked and cleared of any potential mines, watching this unfold.

IF looked a little bored, looking up at the ceiling while putting her hands in her coat's pockets. Flapping the coat a few times, she said, "Didn't expect a bit of celebrity showing in the midst of adventuring."

IF's eyes quickly closed shut in response to a small flash coming from a camera. This time, however, the camera was held in the hands of one of the party members, as Thomas surprised IF with his own attempt at photography. "What the-"

"Someone sounded like she felt left out," Thomas said as he looked over the finished pic, "Hey, it turned out quite well."

"You ass," IF grumbled, before muttering, "At least ask before taking a photo."

"Can I see?" Uzume, who had been hanging around back while the party was busy mingling, popped in to look over Thomas' shoulder at the photo.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Thomas said politely, inching the screen over for Uzume to see more while he tried to figure out the phone's UI for its camera.

Uzume's eyes lit up immediately upon seeing the photo, "Wow! I missed out on some cool tech nowadays. I mean, I remember seeing phones having cameras around the time I left, but it certainly wasn't this nice."

"Ooh! Ooh! Me next!" Compa quickly rushed into the group, surprising IF as she dragged her into a small embrace, before pulling her to her side, posing for a quick photo. Thomas was surprised, but quickly snapped a photo.

"H-hey!" IF protested, but to no avail.

Thomas blinked at the new photo, before Uzume peered over, commenting, "Oh! That's a cute pic! Nice shot!"

"Is that so?" Thomas asked, still surprised that the photo was clear, even with all the movement prior, "More luck than anything."

"Can I see?" Compa let go of a confounded IF, running over to take a look. Thomas turned the phone around to show the screen, to which Compa grinned, "Nice!"

"You were pretty photogenic there, Compa," Thomas added, turning the screen back, "Didn't even give any of us time to breathe."

Compa giggled, "Iffy looks so funny when she's surprised like that! Can you send that over to my phone? I wanna save that for my little collection."

"Uh, sure!" Thomas said as he looked over the UI. While he was quick to snap pictures earlier, he paused a few times, trying to figure out what he had to do next to send the photo. Thomas murmured under his breath as he was struggling. After a beat, even Uzume, still looking over his shoulder, was starting to look through the menus. "Maybe it's that feature, over there?" Uzume jabbed a finger towards the screen, making a suggestion.

"This one?" Thomas guessed where Uzume pointed, to which she nodded. Despite this, both were unsure whether it was the right choice. Uzume wasn't too experienced with the newer phones, relying on her visual radio for communication, while Thomas was still learning, ever slowly.

Compa simply smiled at the two, "Take your time! Hehe, you two look kinda funny looking at the phone. Do you need any help?"

The two looked at Compa with pleading eyes, leading to Compa giggling and going over to help them with the phone's interface.

IF sighed, defeated, "I'm starting to regret helping him get a phone."

* * *

"I really should get my people to go back soon," Gabriel said after a while, "We've been holding you up here, when there's a city to save."

"It's alright," Noire said, "It gives us all a chance to take a breather."

"All the same, I'll go and make sure everyone is back on track," Gabriel quickly stood to attention, before making a polite bow, "Excuse me, ladies." The lieutenant turned and rushed over to the group.

"We should get going too," Noire said softly, "We have a barrier to deal with, after all."

"Good idea," Neptune exclaimed, "In fact, the two of us should go now. I'll show you how we break down the barrier."

"Oh! Alright," Noire nodded, "Lead the way, Neptune. I'll follow your lead."

"Excellent!" Neptune pumped up one fist, "One broken barrier, coming up!"

While Gabriel was slow to get everyone to say their goodbyes and let the party on its way, Noire and Neptune hopped down to the subway tunnel. The two went to the middle of the tunnel, going towards the barrier before stopping nearby to give it another look. Even if there was no sign of the barrier above ground at this location, it still looked all too similar to what they've seen in the skies and elsewhere.

"Yep, that's still a barrier," Noire said with a frown, "That same thing I've seen around Lastation. Ugh, I'm getting nauseous looking at it this closely."

"You spent a lot of time doing that," Neptune noted.

"Don't remind me," Noire muttered, before turning with a hand on her hip to Neptune, "Alright, tell me how we get through this. I'm curious to know."

Neptune nodded, "Right!" She paused to think about it, "Let me see. How do I explain it? Well, first, we need to stand up like this." She straightened herself up, facing the barrier.

Noire followed with the pose, keeping an eye on Neptune, "Simple enough. What's next?"

Neptune took a moment to think, before she smiled, "Hold your hands out, like this!" While she did hold one hand out as normal, she also held her other hand out behind her, though not as high.

Noire continued to follow Neptune's movement, "A little odd for a stance. What exactly are we doing?"

"We need to call upon our powers as CPUs," Neptune said, purposely being vague, "In order to do that, we gotta get a little rhythm going."

"Rhythm?" Noire arched an eyebrow.

Neptune nodded, "Yep! We gotta dance our way! It is admittedly kinda silly, but it works. Just follow my lead!" She hummed a quiet tune, though her tone was a bit off, while swaying her hips a bit.

It was soon apparent that what Neptune was doing was a simple belly dance. It was a little weird considering her hoodie covered much of the movement, but Noire soon picked up on it. The two girls would attempt to out-do the other in who could get their hips moving the most. Noire was caught up in the competition, wanting to out-dance her opponent, that she nearly forgot about why she was doing it in the first place.

She would soon be reminded, as the lazy figure of Plutia walked in between the two dancers, "Heyyyy, that looks like fun. What are you doing?"

Both girls stopped in their dance, with Noire being the most startled, "Aah! Plutia! Sneaking up again?"

"No," Plutia shook her head, "I was just slowly walking behind you two when you went down here. I got bored."

"Oh, in that case," Noire replied, "We were just working to bring down this barrier."

"You were?" Plutia asked confusedly, while Neptune smiled nervously. "That's great! Do you want me to help too?"

"Of course!" Noire said as she raised a fist, "I was told we all need to use our combined powers as CPUs."

Plutia was happy that Noire was willing to let her join in on the fun. Most of the time, there would be a little trepidation before anyone would let her in on anything. This time, however, Noire wanted her to help, simple as that. Still, this did confuse her a bit, "I'm not sure why you were shaking your hips. Do you do that before you transform?"

"Transform?" Noire asked, "You had to do a dance while transformed too?"

Neptune laughed, interrupting, "Well, not really. The dance was really just a warm-up. The **real** deal is cuing up some old code written in some old tome. Transforming helps out, of course! Using our share energy, we conjure up a key."

"A magic key?" Noire's eyes briefly sparkled, before she recomposed herself, realizing something, "Wait. I didn't need to dance at all?"

"No, not at all!" Neptune said apologetically, "Unfortunately."

"We're not going to dance, after all?" Plutia pouted over at Neptune, while Noire glared over, as well.

"What's this about a dance?" The three were once more interrupted by another voice, as the rest of the party had finished with their goodbyes and were hopping down into the tunnel. The voice that asked the question was Blanc.

IF perked up a little, scooting over to Thomas, whispering, "You know that phone can film things, right?" Thomas arched an eyebrow, "Really?" He quickly grabbed his phone, looking to go back to using its camera.

"N-n-nothing!" Noire said in quick denial, "Let's just do what we **really** needed to do. Isn't that right, **Neptune?"**

Neptune weakly laughed, while Plutia pouted, deprived from joining in a dance she missed. Plutia soon leaned over to Neptune, whispering quietly, "Next time you plan on something like this, let me in on it." She then changed her tone to more match her transformed persona, "Don't leave me hanging, Neppy."

Neptune felt a small shiver along her spine.

Thomas, meanwhile, shrugged at IF, putting the phone away, "So much for whatever that was." The two could only imagine what could've been.

* * *

After that silliness was done with, the CPUs huddled around, with Thomas tossing the tome over to Uni so she could show Noire. Transforming, both Noire and Uni tried to summon the key with the others nearby to lend a hand. The key was eventually summoned, and after some struggle, the key managed to break through the barrier, shattering it and opening the way inside.

"Can't wait to use this around Lastation," Noire mused to herself, "After we bring down that land carrier."

Uni passed the tome back to Thomas, before looking to Noire, "We should move with caution from here on. No telling what may be ahead."

"No kidding," Noire spoke up to Uni, pointing ahead, "There's not much lighting in these tunnels."

"We're ready for this," replied IF, who turned her head over, "Thomas?"

"Right," Thomas put away the tome, and reached into his inventory to grab a flashlight. At the the same time, IF took a flashlight from her own inventory, holding it before asking, "Who wants to help out in the light department?"

"I can help!" Nepgear quickly volunteered, and IF complied by giving her a spare flashlight. Nepgear quickly flicked the switch on and pointed it down the tunnel.

"Be ready to put that away at a moment's notice," IF warned, and both she and Thomas turned on their lights. Together, the three made it a little easier for the party to see ahead. There were still a few lights here and there, but they couldn't really see much beyond that.

Rom and Ram held out their staffs, adding a small glow thanks to some magic, and the party headed down the tunnel, taking the route towards Lastation.

The design of the tunnels was rather crude compared to the subway stations, save for the tracks. As the tunnels were never meant to be used for going on foot, except for maybe the workers building and maintaining the system, the ground was about as rough as other underground caverns. With the concern over possible mines, those holding the flashlights kept the light in broad directions ahead, while everyone kept close in the middle.

"This is a little unsettling," Blanc observed, "At this point, I'd rather we have some enemies."

"Please don't say that," Thomas muttered.

Rom clung to her staff, increasing the glow just a bit with more magic. Thomas glanced back to see this, saying, "Is it a wise idea to use up magic like that?"

"Ha!" Ram grinned, raising a free hand to lecture Thomas, "Me and Rom have a lot of mana to burn, Silly Tom. Plus, with enough training, one can use just a little mana to do these things." She then added, "Besides! Don't flashlights usually run on batteries?"

Thomas laughed a bit, "You have a point." He briefly checked his inventory, "Thankfully, we got plenty to spare. I'm not gonna make that kind of a mistake." He moved his flashlight around back towards the tunnel, "It's like I'm going to... find... ah?"

Kneeling down at one side of the tunnel, Thomas found a small battery, "Uhhh, do people usually leave batteries inside subway tunnels?"

"I don't think so," Uni admitted, "But it is still possible that someone may have dropped it around here, at any point during or after construction."

Thomas shrugged, "Perhaps so." After some looking over the battery, he put it away in his inventory, "Convenient, all the same."

Neptune looked down the tunnel, where IF and Nepgear were pointing their lights, saying to Thomas, "I'm glad that was convenient!" She then winced, "Uh, is it me, or is it a little foggy right ahead?"

Sure enough, as they walked further down the tunnel, their visibility was reduced by what appeared to be fog. Although the flashlights were capable of going through the fog, they still had trouble seeing further ahead.

"This is definitely fog," Noire observed, "Why would there be fog around here? Lastation hasn't had any weather that could do this for the last week, and we're nowhere near another station."

"It feels rather like being in an older 3D game," Neptune joked, "I didn't know Lastation's subway tunnels had graphic limitations."

"I don't like this," Noire said while looking to Uni, "Uni, you got a scope or anything to help with this?"

Uni nodded, taking out a rifle, "On it. I'll keep an eye out ahead. Nepgear, you and the others keep the lights on. We have to tread lightly from here on in."

"Right!" Nepgear kept her flashlight pointing forward down the track, while IF and Thomas kept looking for anything out of the ordinary. The party traveled slowly down the tunnel, even as it would take a while before they would be close to Lastation.

With the party grouped together and going down a dimly-lit and foggy tunnel, there was definitely some concern. It did not help matters when, even in the quiet ambiance, they may have heard something faint in the distance. Let me listen in closely. Can you hear it? No, of course not, this is in a text format. But still, imagine going down with the party here, hearing nothing for a long while as you do deeper into the tunnel, away from Gabriel and his people back in Parap Station. Other than your footsteps, you hear nothing. But then, your eyes might pick up a faint sound, wayyyyyy back there. You're not sure if you heard it, but if you listen intently, you might pick it up.

A faint siren could be heard.


	42. ACT III: Subway Scuffle

"Did you hear something?"

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, staring down the foggy tunnel that the party was walking through. It was extremely faint, distant, and yet he swore he heard some sort of siren. He asked this out loud, hoping that he wasn't the only one hearing that.

There was a pause as the party stopped, each person checking their hearing.

"Odd," Blanc was the first to speak, "I can hear a little something. Noire, do you hear that?"

"O-of course I do!" Noire admitted, "My hearing is perfectly fine."

"I just wanted confirmation, wasn't implying anything else," Blanc said simply, "I was also going to ask if you recognize that sound."

"Yes!" Noire blinked, then shook her head to correct herself, "Actually, no. In fact, I don't remember ever having or hearing a siren sound like that."

"Same here," Uni said as she held her rifle ahead, looking through the scope for anything in the fog, "We didn't install any speakers in these tunnels, either."

"If it's not of your nation's doing," Blanc frowned, "Then we should brace ourselves."

"We've got your back, Blanc," Ram was quick to act, clinging her staff and stepping ahead, beside Blanc. Eventually, Rom stepped to the other side of Blanc, holding her staff out as well.

Blanc stepped ahead, taking out her hammer and tilting her head, as she tried to make out anything in the thick fog. IF, Nepgear, and Thomas pushed forwards as well, holding the flashlight out with one hand, while Nepgear and Thomas went for their weapons with the other. IF reached for a spare kunai to throw, just in case.

The siren quietly faded, leaving the party with no other noise beyond their own footsteps on the ground. The uneasy tension, with the party members each getting out their weapons, grew until they finally saw a light within the fog at the other end. It was a small, red light, floating in the middle of the tunnel.

It flickered out for a second as Uni aimed her rifle at where it was last seen, trying desperately to see what was there. She could make out a small outline around where the light was, but before she could see more, the light flickered back on.

This light returned along with another one, just a few feet away from it, to the left. Another soon turn on, a few feet away, to the right. Within moments, more red lights joined the three, quickly filling out the space behind them. Even with the fog, most of the party could recognize the outline of what was the sources of these lights. They were the Mine Layers from their earlier trip through Parap Station. These robots that were recovering mines they laid down earlier were here.

The first Mine Layer that showed itself flickered its lights slowly as it advanced towards the party. Another would then join on the advance, as the Mine Layers would one by one slowly move their way forward. This was more than just one mob of monsters. This was a large fleet.

"Oh, hello there," Uzume said quietly, "Did we interrupt something?"

Thomas' eyes bulged, coming to a realization as the first Mine Layer's light flickered slowly, "They're going to cause a cave-in!"

"Eh?" Nepgear reacted, putting a foot back, "Did they wait for us to show up?"

"Looks like it," IF winced, "And they plan to either blow us up or take down the tunnel with it."

"There's only one thing to do in this situation!" Neptune declared, acting all dramatic.

"Run away?" Thomas asked, ever so hopeful.

"Nope!" Neptune answered, bringing out her blade, "Take out the blinking lights!"

"How is that going to help?" Thomas said with a hint of exasperation.

"RPG rules! Destroy it before it explodes. No robot," Neptune said as though she was teaching Thomas an important lesson, "No mines. No mines, no explosion!"

 **"That's not how it works!"** Thomas exclaimed, before Uni took a few shots at the first Mine Layer in front of them. After a few shots, the thing crashed into the ground, vanishing without so much as a large kaboom.

"RPG rules," Uni said calmly, "Let's hurry and take them down!"

"Guh!" Thomas bit his tongue, seeing Uni proving him wrong in this case, even if that was a risky thing to do. He then grumbled, "This is crazy."

IF could only turn and shrug at him, before putting away the flashlight. Nepgear, and eventually Thomas, put away theirs, as they had no problem seeing the enemies in front due to the new lights.

Initially, the only person really charging in was Neptune, who was certain of her victory without getting blown up. Neptune started with her Delta Slash, attacking a nearby robot with a triple slash wave, with a small explosion taking it out. More robots reacted by starting their flickering light, presumably a countdown to detonating whatever they had. Neptune continued her charge, undeterred by the other robots. Noire sighed, and ran in to assist.

Soon enough, the others began to move in to help clear the fleet before they could detonate. IF and Uzume took to the left of Noire and Neptune, while Blanc, Plutia, and Nepgear went to the right.

After a quick kunai toss, IF went back to her katar blades, slicing at whatever was nearby. Uzume, for her part, went with unarmed combat, trying to smash down her opponent at the end of any combo she made. Blanc and Plutia had similar smashes, using their own weapon to make sure they didn't lose track of their target in the mass of robots advancing on them. Nepgear, meanwhile, darted around to make sure none of the robots went behind, alternating between her MBPL and Slash Wave to keep some distance.

The others along the back were contributing as well, with Compa making sure everyone wasn't hurt badly in the scuffle. Although the robots were not exploding, they did try to inflict some damage as they launched their box-little shapes against anyone nearby. As for Uni, she continued using her rifle, picking apart any robot with ease as she aimed right at their flickering lights, the supposed weak point. Rom and Ram soon went back to their trusty ice spells to rain down on targets further down, making sure that those robots were not left out, and to make cleaning up a little easier.

Thomas frowned, as although he put himself to the middle row, he was reluctant to get anywhere close to the robots. He was doubtful his interrupt skill would not be enough to stop their 'countdown', and he didn't want to be near anything that exploded. Resigned to his current predicament, he went through his inventory, assisting Compa with any healing via items, or helping out with a few Boosters he picked up from Lowee to help speed things along. Despite the current tension between him and Noire, he did use a few items to help Noire through. Noire was not going to protest, but neither were either of them going to make a fuss of it.

As he witnessed Nepgear being the most active, running around and picking off opponents with ranged attacks despite wielding a bladed weapon, Thomas got to thinking. In the battle at Virtua Forest, Thomas threw his weapon and was lucky enough to hit something with it. He couldn't throw now with his sabre, not without having to go retrieve it afterwards. That was just silly. If only he could dart around like that. He was getting faster, sure, but he wanted to have more of a use beyond, well, running. He still had to work on his magic, too. He closed his eyes and muttered to himself, probably out of frustration.

Meanwhile, Neptune continued to lead the way, culminating with an attack that surprised many nearby, from the robots to Thomas alike. Pointing to the ceiling, she called upon a large blade to rain down on her latest targets, calling out her fancy move, **"32-bit Mega Blade!"**

Thomas had yet to see this move, so it surprised him to see a giant blade drop through the ceiling. Sure, he's seen Plutia drop a giant plushie on top on enemies, but this was different! It was a blade. Key difference! Regardless, it was a bit of a shock to witness. The robots, which attempted to pick up the pace, realized their tactic was not working, and several of the robots at the back began retreating through the tunnel.

"We're not done with you!" Noire called out, dashing up to an enemy and launching them up in the air, **"Drop Crush!"** With an overhead smash of her sword, she inflicted tremendous damage on the unlucky bot. The other robots had seen enough of the devastation to forgo their 'countdown' and turned to flee. The seemingly overwhelming fleet was routing.

"We're seriously chasing them down?" Thomas couldn't believe the luck. He tried to keep up with the rest of the party giving chase, as everyone from the front to the back row was trying to pick off the remnants still fleeing.

IF sped up, passing by Neptune and Noire while slashing down a few of the fleeing bots. The Lowee twins cast a few more ice spells to try to slow down the enemies, but there were a few more robots still out of reach.

Getting a few more kunai, IF threw her blades at the enemies, but they were not accurate enough to hit the target. "Damnit!" IF cursed, still giving chase.

Just as IF saw the remaining robots start to get away from her, she noticed the ground ahead glow with a dark blue tint, as another magic spell shot up. Instead of the usual ice, a jetstream of water sprayed upwards, severely damaging the remaining robots and slowing them enough for IF to catch up and finish them off.

IF huffed, and turned to give a thumbs-up to the twins, "Good job, you two!"

She looked to see the two looking happy, but confused. Rom shrugged, as Ram shook her head. "It wasn't us," Rom admitted.

IF raised her eyebrows, and was looking to ask the other people in the party, when she heard a quite audible shout.

 **"Yes!"**

The yes echoed through the tunnel, and the rest of the party turned their heads to the source: Thomas. The man looked genuinely excited, with a fist pumped as he saw what just transpired to him.

As the battle ended, Thomas heard the level-up sound again, this time the text box showing he acquired the new move, an area-of-effect water spell, simply titled **Flood**. The spell still needed to improve, as it didn't inflict enough damage to finish off the robots. Still, there was great potential in using this. Thomas was also relieved that it wasn't some strangely-named move like the others he got. The relief was short-lived, however, as he felt the gazes of disbelief by the rest of the party.

"O-oh!" Thomas flustered, feeling put on the spot, "Th-that was me. I did that. Eheh..."

There was more of an odd pause, and eventually Ram hopped over to tap his shoulder, "Good job, Tom!" Thomas turned with a nervous laugh as Ram gave a silly grin.

Noire rolled her eyes over to where they just finished the fight. They didn't run too far ahead, but all the same, something was bothering her about it, "That was a quick scare. And yet, it finished so easily."

Uni frowned, "I'm surprised, myself. I was at least expecting one of those things to explode, but nothing."

Compa turned to Thomas, "Maybe you were wrong about what they were doing?"

Thomas headtilted, "What else could the Mine Layers be doing if they were just hanging out here and moving the way they did?"

A few of the party members went to thinking as they all huddled back together. Before they could have any more time to think of this, they started to feel some trembling underground. Then, just as they were going to comment on the development, the tunnel suddenly got much darker, as something shot up behind them to block the way back.

"What the goodness?" Nepgear quickly swapped her weapon for the flashlight, turning it on and pointing it in that direction. The tunnel behind them was closed off to them, as what looked like a section of a wall shot up.

"One way or another, they sealed off the way to Lastation," Thomas said, "But we're at the other side."

"Hold on a moment," Blanc stated as she got closer to the wall, "Something is a little off with this."

"You mean aside from the fact that it wasn't there a second ago?" Neptune said.

"More than that, yes," Blanc said as she brought out her hammer, looking irritated, "The fact **it's missing a hole in it! Yah!"**

Blanc put much of her strength into an overhead smash with her hammer, hitting the wall section dead-center. Although the trembling had stopped moments after the section came up, there was a bit of shaking after Blanc connected. Blanc gritted her teeth, as she could feel the hit connect and not doing any damage. Blanc staggered back, "Tch! Not a dent? The hell is with this wall? Even a normal smash would leave an impact!" Getting even more angry, Blanc stomped her feet, "You wanna be stubborn? I'll show you stubborn!"

While Blanc was readying her next attack, the others were looking around them, wondering if something else was up. Nepgear looked around the new wall section with the flashlight, with Uzume nearby to also look around. Nepgear stopped, as she spotted something at the top of the section above Blanc. Both Nepgear and Uzume glanced at each other, as they saw something slowly shifting along the wall. More specifically, the wall itself looked to be shifting. Was it moving on its own?

Blanc got ready to use her Zerstorung, when the top of the wall pushed out into a large block-like shape, aiming to slam itself downwards on the Lowee goddess. Realizing this, Nepgear and Uzume immediately got to action and ran over to get her attention. "Look out! Lady Blanc, above you!" Nepgear called out.

The goddess heard the panicked voice from Nepgear, and quickly noticed the falling block coming down on her. She jumped back, able to get away from the block before it could smoosh her. Once it landed on the ground, Blanc's eyes turned red in rage, and she called on her skill, **"Zerstorung!"** She swung once more, this time aiming at the block that tried to crush her. Unfortunately for Blanc, her counter-attack had the effect, doing negligible damage and causing her to pull back.

Uzume and Nepgear helped pull Blanc further away as the rest of the party was now focused on the movement within the wall, coming to Blanc's side. Thomas and IF shed some light at the block with their flashlights, as it pulled back inside the undamaged wall. The wall continued its strange shifting, before the bottom portion pushed out into blocky appendages, all in a row across the ground.

Eventually, another shape formed in the center. Although it was blocky like what's been seen so far, the wall made a rather fiendish looking face, with a large jaw with many 'teeth'. In addition, new blocky hands started to form on the wall's sides.

 **BWAAAAAAAAAAAAR!**

"Eep," Thomas paled immediately at the strange Wall Ornamental Rock Monster, or WORM, for those who love abbreviations. He wasn't the only one looking visibly shaken, as a few of the girls were also taken aback by the new monster. Uzume shook about at how ugly it was, while Rom and Ram were both equally scared, fleeing behind the others. IF quickly got into guarded position by Blanc, with Compa moving to her side, looking a little scared, herself.

"We got ourselves a mid-boss," Neptune grimaced, "Buuuut I wasn't expecting it to be a demon wall of doom. Anyone got an explosive?"

"We destroyed those Mine Layers, remember?" Noire quipped, looking somewhat nervous.

"Oh, right," Neptune sweatdropped, "Hey, got any battle items that blow up walls? Like some plastic bomb or something?"

"Why would you think I'd carry bombs with me?" Noire took offense by whatever Neptune was implying. In fairness, I'm sure she just wanted any person to have something. Blanc's physical attacks didn't do much in the way of damage.

 **BWAAAAAAAAAAAAR!**

While everyone jumped a bit from the second roar, one person was looking rather irritated. This person slowly walked in front of Blanc and the others to speak sternly at the monster.

"No! Bad monster!" Plutia pointed right at the creature, as her eyebrows visibly twitched, "It's one thing for us to be in a dark, spooky corridor..."

She glared at the creature, who didn't have much of an expression beyond its initial roars, "But to be a spooky-looking monster? Trying to scare us too? That's very bad! I will not forgive you for being scary to kids!"

Neptune blinked, "Uh, Plutie? I know this is a T-rated story, but-"

Plutia said politely, "Not now, Neppy." She then continued, "So, you better leave, scary monster! Or I will make you soooo sorry!"

The monster replied by moving one of its hands over to try and smash Plutia. Plutia reacted by holding up her plushie, and struggled to parry the giant hand. Eventually she relented and pulled back, letting the hand fall in front of her.

Plutia dusted off her plushie, "So that's a no. Meanie." She brought her plushie up, "Go, Mr. Kitty! **Boomerang!"** She threw the plush cat right at the monster's stupid face. It connected and returned back to Plutia's arms with not a scratch on it... or the monster, for that matter.

"I guess it can't be helped. Sorry, Mr. Kitty," Plutia grumbled, "I'm really angry now."

In a flash, Plutia does her quick transformation, becoming Iris Heart, "Someone's getting punished. One way, or another~"

Noire winced, "Is she one to talk about not scaring anyone?"

"Don't bother her," Neptune shook her head, "She's on a roll."

Iris Heart scowled, pulling out her swordwhip, and launched herself at the monster. The monster once again punched at Iris Heart, who only grinned and went to meet it with her weapon. The CPU was not inflicting any damage, but was able to hold it back.

Uzume gestured to the monster for Blanc, "While the crazy one's distracting it, how about we smash that jerk's face together?"

Blanc nodded, "Together, then." The two got themselves ready, then charged at the monster. With it being preoccupied with Iris Heart, the monster got hit square in the face by Blanc's massive hammer, and Uzume attempting a powerful haymaker. The result didn't go their way, as the two recoiled from hitting such a sturdy enemy. Uzume even shook her affected hand while retreating back.

"Nepgear!" Uni called out, "Aim for the eyes! Maybe that's a weakness!"

Nepgear gripped her blade, "Got it! Uni, shoot the left!" She leaped up at the monster, who was still clashing with an enraged Iris Heart. Nepgear lunged at the right eye, while Uni quickly raised her rifle and sniped at the left eye.

No luck, either, and Nepgear had to pull back. Uni's theory failed to damage the monster.

"Tom!" Ram called out, "Let's try that magic out! Maybe magic's the weakness!"

Thomas frowned, "A-a-alright."

"Follow our lead, Tom!" Rom said, trying to compose herself after the initial scares. Both Rom and Ram got ready, and called out, **"Ice Coffin!"** The two of them spun their staffs and shot out ice spells to the monster's sides. Thomas stood back behind the two, and, after some hesitation, called out, **"Flood!"** As before, the ground beneath turned blue, before water jetstreams shot up against the monster. With both water and ice attacks hitting hit, it was bound to inflict some actual damage, right?

... Nope.

"What?" Thomas said in exasperation, "I just got that move! Did you have to ruin the one time I was genuinely getting excited?"

 **BWAAAAAAAAAAAAR!**

Undamaged by the many attacks, even though it was busy parrying with Iris Heart, the monster began another tremor, as the appendages along the ground began to push forwards. The monster used this as the entire wall section, monster and all, 'crawled' forward.

"Th-that thing's not stopping!" Compa exclaimed, "And it's moving! That's also bad!"

"Uhh, anyone got any other ideas?" Noire asked, "So far, nothing's worked."

"Tommy? Remember that idea you suggested a long while back?" Neptune recalled.

"Uhhh?" Thomas seemed to have forgotten.

"Let's run," Neptune stated, "It might have legs, but we're faster!"

"Are we?" Thomas asked, as he pointed to the monster picking up speed.

"Oh crap!" IF grabbed onto the nearby Compa's arm, "Let's book it! Run!"

This was enough for the party to turn tail and run, save for Iris Heart clashing with the monster's hands, making sure they do not crush anyone else. In a strange twist, it was the party running in the same direction the robots were fleeing in earlier. Hey, maybe if they kept running, they could reach Lastation!

"I don't want to run all the way to Lastation!" Neptune complained, out loud, to the author, obviously, "These are not speed run tactics I approve of!"

"Breaking the fourth wall isn't helping either!" Noire retorted, angry at Neptune, "Maybe you can use that power and **destroy that wall monster for us?"**

"It's still gaining on us!" IF exclaimed as she sped past the arguing CPUs, pulling Compa along with her.

 **BWAAAAAAAAAAAAR!**

"Eeeek!" Uzume panicked, "I don't want to be crushed by this ugly thing!"

"What a minute!" A flash occurred, and after a transformation, Ram shot out past the runners, "Just transform and fly, dummies!"

"O-of course! I was just going to do that!" Noire said in a tone that indicated that she may not have, in fact, thought about it.

Thomas closed his eyes briefly while on the run, as one by one, the CPUs all changed and took flight, trying to out-fly the monster still giving chase.

Despite the CPUs breaking away, Iris Heart was continuing to stall the monster, still enraged from earlier. Thomas was already running at a pretty good speed, able to keep away from the monster. Compa, on the other hand, struggled to keep up, despite IF's help.

"I can't... do this!" Compa said, feeling weak in the knees, "I'm not a marathon runner!"

While IF and Thomas were fast and capable of running for long periods of time, Compa was starting to tire out. Thomas looked back as he heard Compa, "Crap." He pulled back to help IF, grabbing onto Compa's other arm, "Let me help!"

IF smiled weakly, "You don't have to."

"We flee together, or not at all," Thomas grimaced, "Just don't let go! Either of you!"

Compa looked back, "That thing is still going!"

IF and Thomas held on, the three humans running as fast as their legs could. They were able to keep away from the monster for a while, running down the tunnel.

Suddenly, the three were rocked by a nearby explosion on one side of the tunnel. Thomas, being the closest, called out in pain, "Aaah!" In spite of the damage, he held on, though lost some speed.

"Tom!" White Heart pulled back, "There's mines on the ground ahead, here! Freakin' hell!"

Purple Heart fell back as well, equally as concerned, "Those robots left their payload out ahead! It's dangerous!"

"No!" White Heart spun around to the monster, winding up, **"Gefahrlichtern!"** Using her special skill, she hoped to slow it down by firing the sea of bullets at the monster's crawling appendages.

"We'll help too!" White Sister Rom spoke out, and both she and Ram once again shot another ice spell, this time creating barriers near the crawling wall, hoping the ice would slow it down.

Meanwhile, up front, Iris Heart was becoming exhausted with her fight. As the monster's hands were hardly affected by her attacks, Iris Heart could only try and push them back to the walls of the tunnel, trying to scrape them, to no real success.

Iris Heart, having lost whatever joy she might've had during the fight, tried to catch her breath after pushing back another attack. Just then, both Orange Heart and Black Heart dashed ahead and clashed with the monster's fists.

"Noire? Uzume?" Iris Heart blinked in surprise.

"You've done enough for now, Plutia!" Black Heart said with gritted teeth, "Save your strength!"

"We'll keep it away for a while," Orange Heart explained, hoping her megaphone won't break under the current pressure, "Now's the chance to break off!"

"Tch," Iris Heart winced, "Fine. For now. Th-thanks for the assist." She pulled back, as the monster was pushing through the ice barriers the twins set up.

Purple Heart and Blanc Heart checked on the three humans, before they agreed to help out. Purple Heart went to pick up the scared but exhausted Compa, while White Heart checked on Thomas' hurt legs to see if there was any major wounds. There weren't, but White Heart insisted on helping Thomas up, eventually get him to hold on to her side as she flew up.

As Iris Heart flew past them, Purple Heart looked back, "Black Heart, will you help Iffy out here? We need to carry them out!"

"That was the plan!" Black Heart pushed back one of the hands and flew back, "IF, hold on! We'll fly our way!"

"Got it!" IF nodded, quickly rushing over so Black Heart could pick her up. Orange Heart soon pulled back, using her megaphone to attack the monster's face, in a vain attempt to damage it. Unfortunately, not even cutesy soundwaves could damage it significantly.

"Hold tight, Compa!" Purple Heart said, as the three CPUs carrying the humans flew off, while the CPU candidates and Orange Heart flew behind them. Eventually they caught up with Iris Heart and flew through the middle of the tunnel. The CPUs soon noticed more and more mines being buried along the tunnel, and they took to the top to avoid any surprises.

The monster pushed through the ice barriers, and was quickly catching up to the party, with the mines doing nothing against it. "That thing has no weakness!" IF winced while keeping her hold on Black Heart, "How are we going to lose it now?"

Black Heart glanced back at the monster, her mind trying to piece together a solution. The monster was probably smashing up the railing underneath while it was moving, leaving nothing behind it. Perhaps if they could just get around this monster somehow...

"Uni!" Black Heart called out to her, "How close are we to Daze Station?"

"I think we're still a long while, maybe a quarter of the way," Uni shook her head.

"Not halfway? Then we're close to where we need to go," Black Heart looked to one side of the tunnel as they kept to the ceiling.

"Care to enlighten us?" White Heart asked, while Thomas kept his arms around the CPU's shoulders, hanging on.

Black Heart kept her eyes on the side of the tunnel, "We're taking a shortcut! If that monster keeps following us, we might find a way to turn the tables."

"There's a shortcut?" Uni raised her eyebrows.

Black Heart pointed, while keeping IF close, to where she saw a slightly glowing Lastation logo, "There it is! We move through here! There's a passage hidden this way!" She boosted ahead, past Iris Heart, and leading the group through what looked like part of the wall. Instead, they found themselves in another dark tunnel. One after another, the CPUs followed Black Heart's lead. The monster roared from behind them, confused briefly, before turning itself to push into the hidden passage.

"It's still following us!" Rom said to the party as she looked back.

"Good!" Black Heart stated, "Everyone! There's a big room at the end of this passage! Move immediately to the sides when you get in! That monster might be big, but we might be able to get around it!"

"Maybe we can hit it from behind," Purple Sister hoped, "We've got to try!"

The CPUs continued their flight, eventually making their way into a giant room, which looked similar to what could be seen at any other subway station. It was barely lit, but as the girls flew in one by one, they flew to the sides, and above towards the ceiling. Purple Heart, Black Heart, and White Heart flew up to the ceiling to keep watch, while the humans held on dearly.

After a beat, they could feel the familiar tremors, and the monster pushed through into the open, into the center of the room. The wall section that blocked the way behind it was not big enough to cover the large room, even with it shifting to stay up. And while the front portion was the same scary monster, behind it showed a more malleable, sandy portion. There were some lights in the center, showing that there was some advanced machinery behind this.

Seeing the opportunity, both Nepgear and Uni aimed their weapons, firing at this squishy area. To their absolute relief, and to the monster's surprise, it inflicted a tremendous amount of damage.

"Not literally the soft underbelly," Black Heart observed, "But we found the weak spot!"

Iris Heart laughed maniacally, looking thrilled to see this development, "Excellent job, Black Heart. Now to **finally** exact my punishment!"

"Gorightahead!" Black Heart did not want to get in the way, feeling a little shiver down her spine. IF sweatdropped in reaction, being in close proximity to this.

"Hmhmhmm. Now, Mr. Monster," Iris Heart grinned from ear to ear, as ominous thunder could be heard, "Allow me to **properly** introduce you to my elite club. Pay close attention~!"

The monster roared, but could not turn so quickly, as it was barely able to stand. Perhaps if it didn't just barge into the room, it might've avoided its fate? No matter, as Iris Heart dove right at the squishy weak point with her heel. diving with her EXE skill, T. Blade Kick.

The attack was powerful, with an explosion engulfing the monster as Iris Heart sprang back. "Allow me to put the finishing touch! Mwah~!" Iris Heart finished off the monster with an actual kiss of death, which shot out into explosive lasers on the doomed opponent.

The smoke cleared out as the CPUs landed, and waited until they were certain that the monster was defeated and gone. It was, and a sense of tremendous relief came over the party.

Iris Heart also was relieved, "Ohhhh, that felt **much** better! I've been meaning to do something like that for a while. I am grateful that you've let me handle that, Noire." With a quick flash, the CPU returned back to human form, "Ah, I'm so happy right now. And sleepy."

"That's... good, right?" Black Heart let IF down, landing as she reverted back to her human form.

"One less scary boss monster is good, so yes," Compa hopped out of Purple Heart's arms once she got close to the ground.

Neptune, coming out of her CPU form, smiled to Noire, "Looks like the plan worked out for the best, Noire!"

Uni walked over to Noire, looking around the room, "I don't remember this room in the subway plans. Noire?"

"Oh! Well, it was just a small, tiny addition to the plans. A small preparation just in case, really, haha," Noire played it off.

"Really?" Uni paused, taking another look around, "This looks more like some sort of work-in-progress." She hummed, and noticed, "This is pointing to the west. It's also a pretty good location if we wanted to have the subway go west towards Planeptune..."

Noire flinched, "Th-that's a simple coincidence! If the two nations ever were to agree to a long subway tunnel connecting to each other, Lastation would just be prepared! That's all it is!"

"You could have just asked, Noire," Neptune beamed, "I'm sure Histy wouldn't mind us working together."

"I wasn't asking!" Noire stated, "This is a just a break room. Sheesh." She pointed to the east, "There's actually a small hallway this way. It's a long walk, but we might be able to get into Lastation through here without any more of those robots or monsters."

"It might be wise," IF said, "After that welcoming party, we should probably take a detour."

Meanwhile, White Heart had dropped down to the ground, as Thomas finally could feel the ground beneath him. "You can let go, now," White Heart said with a quick stare.

"Of course!" He stammered, letting go and slowly sitting down, wincing. Despite not taking too much damage from the explosion earlier, he still felt some pain in his legs.

Transforming back, Blanc knelt down a bit to check on Thomas' legs, "Still hurting, huh?"

Thomas nodded, "Yeah." He tried to pin exactly where he was feeling the pain, and went to one of his thighs, "Damn. Right around there."

"Do you need any help?" Blanc asked, "I can get Rom or Compa over here."

Thomas shook his head, "Nono. It's just some muscle sprain." He slowly got back up, "I can handle it after a br-aah!" He nearly stumbled for a moment, but found himself held up by a nearby Blanc.

"I think I can provide a shoulder for a little longer," Blanc said, glancing away, "Don't get too comfortable. We all have to keep up."

Thomas grimaced, "S-sorry."

"Don't be," Blanc shook her head, "I don't mind helping out, once in a while."

"Alright," Thomas sighed, before saying, "All the same, thank you."

Blanc stayed quiet for a few seconds, before she hummed an affirmative. Holding one of Thomas' arms over her shoulder, Blanc helped walk him along as they met with the rest of the party.

The way to Lastation was open.


	43. ACT III: Old Homes

**("Welcome to the next chapter, and it's pretty big. The next one will also be big, and I will admit it here now: They're the most challenging ones I've been writing. I hope future chapters won't be as bulky, but who knows what the future will bring? I mean, Act I is much smaller compared to Act II and Act III... I guess the overall story just keeps getting bigger. Better? I dunno, I'll leave that up to you.**

 **Feedback, as always, will be greatly appreciated. If you feel like you don't have much to add, that's okay! You're not obligated to comment after every chapter. I just appreciate anything you all have to offer.**

 **Enjoy the next chapter!" - An author currently buried in snow. Mmf!)**

* * *

A small, barely-lit corridor stretched far out from the break room that Noire led the party into. Apparently, this was a hidden passage meant for employees or workers in the future should the subway move west. Or it was **just** a break room, as Noire insisted. Whatever the case, Noire was certain that this path to Lastation won't have any surprises. She hoped, anyway, as she wasn't sure how much information the enemy had on her nation.

"Lady Noire?" Nepgear walked beside her, though there was not much space for everyone to walk beside each other. Noire looked to Nepgear, who continued, "Where does this passage lead? Does it go into the Basilicom?"

"Unfortunately no," Noire replied, crossing her arms briefly, "If I remember the plans, it meant to reach a part of the sewers inside the city."

"Guh!" Uzume heard all this ahead of her, and was naturally not too thrilled. After her last experience in a sewer, she was not looking forward to another trek down there.

"Hmm?" Noire glanced back at the audible reaction, "Is something the matter, Uzume?"

Uzume coughed, "N-no, not really. Just, how much do we have to go through? The sewer part, I mean."

"Not much," Noire admitted, "There's an exit nearby where we can reach one of the back streets. We'll go through there."

Uzume felt a little relief, "Alright. Although that does go to my next question. Where do we go from there?"

"Hmmm," Noire grimaced, "To be honest, I'm not sure. I need to know more of what's going on in my own city."

"Let's take it one step at a time," IF thought aloud, "We can check out the Guild, but that depends on what the robots have been doing."

"Somehow, I have a feeling it's not going to be simple getting around the city," said Uni, looking downcast, "Or through that land carrier."

Noire visibly frowned, muttering, "One way or another, we'll fix this."

IF shook her head, "I'm sure you'll all agree to take it slowly here. I don't think I want to end up meeting another crazy boss like the one we met earlier."

Rom closed her eyes, shuddering. She was near the back of the line, but she heard IF mention the last boss, "I-I agree with IF. I don't wanna fight another thing like that. Shiver."

Meanwhile, at the back, Thomas was starting to feel a bit better as his muscle sprain healed slowly. He then smiled faintly to Blanc, who was helping him out, "I think I'll be good to go. Again, thank you, lady Blanc."

Blanc nodded, keeping a stoic expression, as she slowly eased Thomas' arm from her shoulders. She waited calmly while Thomas balanced himself, before saying, "Not a problem. You sure you can handle the rest of the way?"

Thomas laughed weakly, "I should be fine. If not, it isn't like I have the walls nearby to hold myself up."

"Just try not to overexert yourself," Blanc stated, "I would like not to have to rush back to get your ass back up."

Thomas grimaced, "Alright." He felt a bit down after that, and Blanc picked up on the fact.

"Do not be too harsh on yourself," Blanc added, "The situation was rather rough for all of us. Besides, do not take this to mean I would not help in the future."

Thomas hummed an affirmative, to which Blanc smiled, "I did say I don't mind helping, now and then. Just try not to make it a habit."

Thomas felt a bit warm under his hoodie's collar, "Uhh, y-yeah, right! I'll be careful."

Blanc nodded, "Anyway, I'll move up now. Let me know if you find yourself in another bind."

Thomas hummed again, as Blanc sped up a little so she could make her way to the front. She also had a bit of a smug smile on her face. If I didn't know any better, looked like Blanc was pleased with the outcome. She was still, after all, looking to somehow persuade Thomas to join her nation's ranks, for whatever reason.

Although few paid attention to this, there was one person who did take mental note, as Noire frowned, seeing the friendly candor Thomas had with Blanc even from her position. She was quick enough to turn back to the front to concentrate on her job, though. She knew where the corridor led, and pointed out something in the distance, "We're getting close to the sewer portion of this trip. The exit we need to get to is to our right, just a little aways. There may be a couple of low-level monsters, but the way usually is clear."

"Part of me wonders why a passage for employees or workers would go through sewers," Neptune observed, "But I'm sure there is some logical explanation for that."

Noire cleared her throat, "This passage hasn't been fully completed. The passage will connect to Daze Station at some point down the line, but for now, we got sewers."

Uzume winced, muttering, "This is better than walking into another ambush. But why does Uzume have to go through poo water again? Ew."

* * *

Lastation, a prominent industrial and trade city on the main continent of Gamindustri. The City of Black Regality. Home to CPU Noire and CPU Candidate Uni. Multiple winner of the Busiest City Of The Year award by Gamindustri Monthly. Its tall, dark buildings overshadowed by the current situation of a large Land Carrier parked right by the Basilicom, with many robots surrounding it, and some patrolling the nearby streets. Not to mention the firewall barrier keeping the city within the grasp of these invaders. Or the cannons that were still outside the barrier, as Lastation's forces were stuck waiting.

Within the city, still far from the Basilicom, or the barrier, a sewer cover opened in one of the outlying streets. Noire was first to very slowly poke her head up, looking in every direction to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing that it was rather eerily quiet, Noire hopped out of the sewer, and held a hand out, motioning for the others to come out. She whispered aloud, "Coast is clear, but keep quiet."

One by one, the party got out of the sewer, rushing with Noire to get to the side of a nearby building, trying to keep out of sight from any potential danger. Thankfully for them, the robots did not appear to be interested in patrolling the area they were at. At least, for the moment.

"We made it. Somehow." Noire muttered.

"Goodness," Nepgear mused in awe of what she saw, "The Land Carrier. It's absolutely massive!" In the center of the city, the machine was about as tall as most the buildings in Lastation, and stretched out pretty long. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking it could fill in for a great giant college football field. Or two.

"How are we going to be able to take that down?" Uzume asked, as she pulled on one of her gloves, "Somehow I doubt we can just blow it up."

"We can't?" Plutia asked with a hint of surprise.

Blanc shook her head, "We need to find out a little more before we can act."

As that went on, Thomas glanced back from his position, away from the Land Carrier, and raised his eyebrows in a bit of surprise, "Oh?"

IF noticed Thomas' sudden interest elsewhere, and quietly asked, "Thomas? Is something up?"

Thomas hummed quietly, "Hmm. Not really, but I recognize where I am. There's a building further down this street. It might provide a brief respite, and offer some information on what's happening."

IF looked back, "The building, is that-" She paused, vaguely recalling where in the city they were, "Sounds like a plan. I'll go with you."

Thomas nodded, "Alright. I'm guessing we need to be careful moving anyway."

"Yeah, let's try not to attract any unwarranted attention," IF noted, before Thomas turned and cautiously walked down the street, with IF slowly following.

Uzume blinked, noticing both Thomas and IF on the move, and curiously turned to follow them. In a weird domino effect, one by one, other members of the party followed curiously. Eventually, Noire was the last to be left alone, "H-h-hey. Where are you all going?" She walked quickly in an attempt to catch up to the line of people following.

* * *

At the far end of the street, Thomas stopped by an old, but not quite run-down building. Thomas checked the few, small windows at the front, trying to make out if anything or anyone was inside. The lights, however, were out.

IF watched Thomas looking through the dark windows, "Doesn't look like anyone's there. This is one of the old homeless shelters, right? Were you into charity around here?"

Thomas frowned a little, as he saw nothing inside, "Not exactly." He pulled back, "No such luck. I was expecting at least someone to keep the lights on." He put his hands in his hoodie's pockets and looked disappointed.

"Hmm? What is this place?" Uzume stopped as the two were finished walking.

"Oh, hey Uzume," IF said, "This here's one of the old homeless shelters in Lastation. Places like this can be found around Gamindustri when people need to find a temporary home or place to rest a few nights. Figured we'd check to see if anyone was there."

"Huh, not a bad idea, Ifsy," Uzume said as she looked over at the building.

"Actually, it was Thomas' idea," IF corrected her, "It doesn't look like anyone's here, though."

"Idea?" Compa's voice could be heard behind them, as the domino effect was catching up, "Oh! Hey, I remember this place. I've been here a few times. A little charity work on a few occasions. My grandma always taught me 'Keep giving until it hurts, then keep giving some more.'"

"Unfortunately, we've hit a dead end here," Thomas sighed, "Place looks empty. No lights either."

"That's too bad," the next person showing up was Nepgear, who at least heard a little before saying anything, "Not a note or anything explaining, huh..."

Thomas shook his head, before blinking as Neptune, Blanc, and the Lowee twins showed up one by one, "D-did everyone just decide to tag along? I was just going to check on my own."

"Looks like an old shelter. I recognize the architecture here," Blanc commented.

"False alarm, guys," IF stated to the others, "We couldn't find any information here. Sorry Thomas led us all here."

Thomas took offense, pulling a hand out and raising a fist, "What? None of you had to follow me here!"

"Oh, you've been to this place before too?" Compa asked.

Neptune blinked, "I was just following everyone. We kinda all left Noire alone to mope there, didn't we?"

"Did I miss something?" Uni was the latest to show up, "Oh, we stopped here?"

"Crazy Tom led us on a false alarm thingy," Ram brought Uni up to speed.

"Tommy did what?" Plutia said as she finally came by, looking a little more tired than usual. She probably had to quicken her slow pace, "Is Tommy being bad?"

Thomas cringed, before saying a quick, deadpanned, "No." He then shook his head, "I mean, no, to Plutia. Yes, I have been here, Compa."

Plutia smiled faintly, as Compa responded, "I didn't know you did some charity work! I always figured you were kinda shy about doing stuff like this."

"Uh, well," Thomas sweatdropped, "That's not quite why I was here."

Compa puzzled on this, "Then what was the reason?"

"Seriously, everyone, what are you doing all the way back here?" A frustrated Noire finally caught up to the others.

Thomas grew more flustered, to the point where he gave up, "Alright! Alright." He sighed, "I... For a time, I lived here. Alright? That's why I know about this place and why I wanted to check in on it." He turned back to look at the windows, murmuring a little more under his breath.

The reactions varied from person to person, as some looked very surprised by the reveal (Uni and Noire especially) while others felt a little awkward.

"I guess it was a bit of a touchy subject. I'm sorry," Compa apologized.

Thomas sighed, "N-no, please don't be."

Neptune had a mix of the two, being a little surprised, but also confused, "Did Tommy really hit a rough patch at one point in his life?"

Thomas winced, "Uh, Neptune? I thought you knew about my backstory. You know, the part about wandering the seas for a while and being shipwrecked and such?"

"Whoops, almost forgot there," Neptune laughed nervously, "I get my tragic backstories all confused sometimes."

Thomas shook his head, "Anyway, after Nepgear's indirect rescue, I fled to Lastation, where a young girl directed me to the Guild. It was from there that I found out about this place. Since I didn't have much in the way of credits, there was a time I had to take shelter somewhere in this city."

Uni's eyes widened in a realization of her own. She muttered to herself, "Wait, does that mean that weird, scruffy-looking guy from back then was actually-"

Thomas continued, unaware, "It took me a while to get acclimated around here. Eventually I managed to move elsewhere, getting some work, taking up night courses, doing a few gathering quests, researching... at least that's what my time in Lastation was mostly like."

"So that's why he left..." Noire murmured to herself.

Thomas cleared his throat, "A-a-anyway, sorry to bring all of you in just so I can drop that bit of backstory." He grumbled, "Wish I actually got some information."

"P-psst! All of you, by the shelter!" A harsh whisper could be heard above the party, just beside the abandoned shelter, "What are you doing out here? It's dangerous out there!"

The party turned their heads up and over to see a barely opened window in an old, barely-lit building. They couldn't see much inside the window, but they could make out an outline of a person thanks to the small lighting.

"We're aware that it's dangerous," Uni spoke out, "But we need a place to rest and find out exactly what's going on. Can you help us?"

"Sorry, I can't help," the female voice said to the CPU candidate, "But I do know that the closest hotel might have what you need. Just, be careful, please!"

"We'll be careful," Noire stated, holding a hand to her chest, "Your advice has been very helpful."

"I... I don't why, but I feel a little at ease," the woman seemed surprised, "May the goddesses protect you."

Before thinking of something to reply to this weird situation, the party saw the woman quickly shut her window.

"Looks like the trip was worth it after all," Uni said, "You know exactly where the hotel is, Noire?"

Noire nodded, "Everyone follow me, but try to keep out of sight. The robots don't know where we are yet, as far as we know. Let's keep that advantage. Try not to get distracted again."

"Lead on," IF agreed, and the rest of the party soon followed suit as the group cautiously moved with Noire.

Meanwhile, Thomas muttered a few words under his breath.

* * *

The closest hotel, much like some of the buildings in the neighborhood, was barely lit, as though it was trying to keep a low profile. Speaking of which, the party had to be reallllllly sneaky! Apparently, they could see a few jet robots making a few patrols along some of the streets, shining a few spotlights along the ground. Everyone made extra effort to avoid these spotlights, as for some reason, the jets didn't see beyond where they were shining their lights. What lousy patrols these things were!

Where was I? Oh yes. The party soon made their way to the front entrance, and, after a quick check around, Noire slowly opened the door, before getting inside and motioning the others to get in quickly.

The hotel lobby had some lit candles at the front desk, as the main hallway lights were turned off. It was likely meant to keep things dark so the patrolling robots wouldn't pay attention. Once Thomas closed the door behind him, there was a small rustling behind the main desk, drawing everyone's attention. Just before any member of the party could react, a person popped her head up from behind the front desk, whispering, "Welcome to the Guild. What brings you here?"

IF blinked, "The Guild? Isn't this a hotel?" The Guild Agent walked up to the front desk, eyes looking around the lobby.

"It is, er, was, a hotel, yes," The person, a woman, dressed in similar garb to the Guild Woman at Randome, replied, before eyeing IF, "You look a little familiar. Aren't you from Planeptune?"

"Yes, name's IF," she answered, still glancing around, "Me and the others here managed to get past that barrier, but we need some information, starting with why the Guild is here."

"Y-you got past the barrier? Wait, IF? **The** IF?" This Guild Woman looked at IF with a bit of hope in her eyes.

"Uh, yes," IF was a bit surprised by the reaction.

"By the goddesses!" The Guild Woman blinked at the others, "Does that mean this party is-"

IF interjected, "Yes, yes, these are the goddesses. We've come from Planeptune and Lowee to help out. Even lady Noire and Uni are here. Please, we need to know what's going on in this city!"

"Oh, right! Right! Come with me, then," the Guild Woman gestured behind her as she went to open the door, "I'll brief you all in on what's been happening here. You can all take a moment to sit down and rest. How did you all get here?"

"I'll explain more about that a little later," IF said as she asked, "But first, tell us why the Guild is here. Don't they have their own building?"

"We do, yes," the Guild Woman said, as she walked into the staff room, meant as a break room for some of the hotel staff. The place had a few tables, sofas, and some chairs for the others to sit down at. There were a few lit candles to keep the light at a minimum, even though the power was on for the coffee maker at the far-end, as well as a few vending machines, and, for some reason, some unopened boxes settled in a messy pile at the corner. "Circumstances, however, have led us to relocate here."

"The robots outside, I assume," IF said simply, as the others went inside to find some spots to sit down.

The Guild Woman nodded, "Yes. When the barrier fell, the invaders have installed a perpetual curfew. No person was to go outside for any reason. They have the entire city on lockdown, and anyone they've caught, they put in Lastation's prison."

"Prison?" Nepgear blinked, "You mean that they just throw people in prison simply for being outside?"

"Unfortunately so," replied the Guild Woman, "The few scouts we have in the city have been gathering information on what the robots have been doing. The robots even barge into buildings with lots of lighting, just to keep everyone in the dark."

Thomas' eyes widened, "Does that mean, the reason the homeless shelter's been closed..."

"Ah, so you've been there," the Guild Woman frowned, "Yes. Those less fortunate have been captured and put in prison. That included many of Lastation's homeless population."

"That's horrible!" Compa exclaimed, as Thomas was visibly shaken in his seat.

"We've been helping to shield the rest of the population so far, but our actions have gotten the robots' attention," the Guild Woman sighed, sitting herself down on a free chair, "The Guild building was raided, and many of us had to flee and set up new locations to hide in. The owner of this hotel was nice enough to let us reorganize here."

"How are people holding up?" Noire asked, "We briefly spoke with one who was afraid to go out."

"A lot of us are frightened," said the Guild Woman, "Some of us have taken to gathering information, like the scouts, while others have taken to taking down what they could, here and there. A young girl in particular has been taking down a couple of robots and caused them to mainly stay away from areas not close to that giant carrier. For someone so young, she possessed a great deal of fighting spirit, and weaponry."

Noire raised her eyebrows, "Could it be-"

"There are other adventurers, too, helping out," the Guild Woman interrupted, "However, they could only do so much. That carrier keeps sending out new robots, like they have an infinite supply of them." She sighed, rubbing the ridge between her eyes, "We've been able to secure enough food to last us a good while, but supplies are rather limited. Unless we can take down that carrier, I don't see our problems ending."

"Taking down the carrier might be a huge task," IF said, "We don't know anything about it?"

"We had a few scouts check it out, but they haven't reported in yet," the Guild Woman leaned back in her chair, trying not to let the stress get to her, "If you want, you can all rest here until they get back."

"We can wait a while," Noire noted, before she looked to the others, "But unless we can find a way to destroy that thing, I can think of only one option. It would get very messy, though, if we just opened the barrier and let our forces try to take the city back."

"That could be disastrous," Uni frowned, as Thomas grew more uncomfortable. The others didn't look too enthused with the idea, either.

Noire nodded, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, then."

With that, IF went on to explain how the party got here to the Guild Woman, while some of the members dispersed to take a small breather. Thomas was first to leave the break room, but not before asking, in a bit of awkwardness, "Uhh, does the plumbing still work?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, it still does," the Guild Woman said politely, "I take it you want to take a bath or shower?"

"Actually, I just need to go to the washroom," Thomas said with an awkward glance out the door, "Th-thanks for letting me know, though. Please, excuse me."

With that, Thomas exited into the lobby, and followed the signs directing him to the washroom. Do we really need to see this part? The chapter apparently is still going, and I don't want to narrate about... you know. Alright, well, I'll take a break on my own. We'll be right back.

* * *

 **Chirper advertisement!**

 **Uni's icon pops up, reminding us: "In a hurry? Spice up your next gaming session with some Uni Curry!"**

* * *

Alright! We're back from that, a little rested up and raring to go. Let's get back to it! Where do we start after our little break?

We return to the hotel, and head to the washroom that Thomas went into... we're really doing this? Really? Alright! Fine!

After Thomas had, er, finished, he went over to the sink at the front to wash his hands. Soon after, he splashed some water on his face, before turning off the faucet and holding his hands down at the counter. He heaved a sigh, trying to calm down and relax for a brief moment. With the fighting, the running, and everything that happened since they've left Lowee, Thomas felt intense pressure to keep up. The restlessness didn't help, either.

"Try not to get distracted again," Thomas muttered to himself, his voice having a tinge of bitterness. Even though he knew he shouldn't take the words so seriously, Thomas felt a little irritated by the words uttered by Noire. Given that he was already trying to figure a way to smooth things out with Noire, Thomas couldn't afford to get frustrated like that.

Straightening up, Thomas idly flicked his wrists, as he turned away from the mirror. He cringed a little, Perhaps all this stress was adding a headache. He wasn't too sure. What he was certain of, though, was the amount of boxes littering the hotel. He saw some in the main lobby and plenty in the employee room. Even in the washroom, he had to contend with boxes laying in an empty corner. He assumed these were all supplies the Guild brought over, though he wasn't sure why some were laid here. Perhaps a wide assortment of toilet paper? Ugh, why am I thinking about this?

Thomas stopped flicking his wrists, and went over to grab a towel at the side to dry off. As he did so, he heard a small shuffling sound from the pile of boxes. The sound stopped immediately when he turned his head to look at the pile of boxes. After a bit of looking, Thomas raised an eyebrow as he heard a muffled sound from one of the boxes. Thomas cautiously moved closer to the pile, before looking over at a specific box. A fairly large cardboard box with a green horizontal stripe along it. Thomas looked, in thought, and spotted a small hole on one side. Kneeling down slowly, he muttered, "Is that you, Snake?"

There was a brief moment of silence, before the box shook. An eye peered out the small hole, and up at the man. A muffled voice inside the box called out in surprise, "Thomas? Of all the people to expect in this hotel, I did not expect you to be here."

"Circumstances have changed," Thomas admitted, "Interesting that we meet under such conditions. But really, what are you doing in the washroom, Snake?"

Indeed, inside the box was none other than Snake. Well, to be more precise, the person was the scout known as Snake Hayter. Much like Maryo and Player 2 back in Lowee, Snake was another familiar-looking character in the series who would show up on Chirper now and then.

"I was paying attention to what was going on inside the employee room," Snake uttered, "I was not wanting to intrude, so I sat by and waited. I noticed the people there were those of the CPU goddesses and some of Neptune's friends. I heard there was a male in the group heading to the washroom, so I followed."

"You could've just said hello there," Thomas sweatdropped.

"There... were too many people," Snake muttered, "I do not like large crowds. Plus, I certainly was not going to follow one of the girls into the washroom. Especially a goddess such as Noire or Blanc. I would be killed."

Thomas hummed, "I see. Again, strange to meet at a time like this. I take it you were one of the scouts sent check on the giant machine parked outside the Basilicom?"

"Correct," Snake murmured, shuffling a bit inside the box he was comfy in, "I went along with a couple of others. Only me and Sam were able to sneak inside, given the amount of robots stationed just outside."

"You managed to get in," Thomas said in surprise, "Is it even possible to get inside that thing without being noticed?"

Snake paused, as though he was thinking as well, "It's strange. I was meaning to speak of this a bit later, but it's the way the robots are designed. A lot have very basic pre-sentient designs, and a lot of what I saw inside the carrier struck me as made during a much older time. Fat monitors, blocky text, that sort of thing. Yet, I could see some of the additional modules they install of some of the newer robots. Like they're slowly adapting to the newest tech we have."

"Newer robots?" Thomas asked, as he stopped kneeling. His legs were still a little sore from the battle much earlier, and he did not want to add more pressure on either leg.

"Of course, I have yet to mention," Snake said with a sigh, "They're actually making new robots in that complex."

"Is that so?" Thomas glanced in the direction of where the Basilicom would be, even though he had no line of sight, "There's a factory inside that thing?"

"There was quite a lot I saw in there," Snake muttered, as there was some shuffling of papers inside the box, "Luckily for me and Sam, we were to sneak around in poorly-lit areas and made as little sound as possible to get around. You noticed those robots patrolling the streets, right? All of them having some sort of spotlight to avoid."

"Uh huh," Thomas recalled. It was like the robots had some odd tunnel vision, only paying attention to where they were aiming their light.

"Honestly, their security at times was almost insulting," Snake mused, "Almost some sort of basic test. Jump through these hoops and win a prize. Unfortunately, whatever losses we may have inflicted on them, they continue to build more. If left unchecked, they could sweep through the whole city with no problem, or worse."

Thomas turned to lean against the wall, crossing his arms, "Just great. A moving armored factory. That's going to be a tough nut to crack."

While Thomas took a deep breath, Snake shuffled a little, before speaking, "Tell me, Thomas. What **are** you doing here, exactly? I wouldn't take you to be the fighting type, let alone with the goddesses."

"Hrmm, well it certainly wasn't what I anticipated," Thomas shook his head, before slinking down to sit on the ground. "Tell me, Snake," Thomas said while tilting his head up at the ceiling, "When was the first time we met?"

"It's been a long while, hasn't it?" Snake recalled, "Why, wasn't it years ago, when you were just moving into that new Lastation apartment?"

"Roughly, yeah," Thomas nodded a bit, before looking at Snake through the hole in the box, "By the way, about that disc you promised me..."

"Errr," Snake hesitated, "A lot of other things came up between then and now. Seriously, it's been years."

Thomas smirked a bit, "It's okay, was just pulling your leg a little. Wouldn't have been of use now."

After a brief bit of silence, Thomas continued, "But yeah, that long, huh? First actual home in Lastation. Didn't really know that many people then. At least, compared to now."

"I have to admit, it was rare to see you outside of anything work-related," Snake noted, shuffling over to sit next to Thomas, still content to being inside the box.

Thomas added bluntly, "I had to be careful where to walk the first few weeks. Who knew one of my neighbors loved being in a box more than a house cat?"

"Don't knock it," Snake complained, "I was fated to be inside the box. It's where I feel the most safe. Besides, it did serve me well during my recent mission."

"So it did," Thomas said, "At least you're still safe." He then sighed, "Anyway, Snake... If you told me, at that time, that there was a giant machine like that outside the Basilicom, how would you think I would react?"

"You would most likely make your way to Lowee or Planeptune without much of a thought," Snake answered.

"Hmm, thought so," Thomas grumbled, before shaking his head, "Yet here I am, now trying to think of how to get in that thing and stop it. You're right, Snake. Just what am I doing?"

"Was that meant to be rhetorical?" Snake said quickly.

"Strangely enough, yes," Thomas said with a weak smile, before rubbing the back of his neck, "This is a lot to deal with, though."

Snake hummed a bit in the affirmative, before saying, "So you are working with the goddesses, after all. Does that mean you outrank me now? Shall I call you Colonel?"

"No, please don't," Thomas answered.

"I suppose we are just doing our duties," Snake said with a small chuckle, before shuffling some papers out from under the box towards Thomas, "Here."

"Oh? What is this?" Thomas asked, as he pulled the papers away from Snake and flipped through them. The stack of papers were continuous, with even small holes along the side, as though this was in an old typewriter, or printer.

"Some of the schematics I managed to print off," Snake replied, as Thomas held the small stack of papers, "Took me a while, though. Downloading any information off of old computers like what that carrier had there was one task. Finding a place to print them off was another."

"No kidding," Thomas shuffled some of the continuous form papers together, and tried to make sense of what he did see, "Even the schematics look a little basic."

"Can you make it out, at least?" Snake asked, "The diagram isn't particularly descriptive. I can say, however, that the first few floors have a lot of machinery actively working. It may be wise to stick to the platforms to get around."

"This is a very weird machine, to able to do all this," Thomas said while trying to make sense of the basic diagram. After a while, he muttered, "I think I can understand this. Should I be careful around these parts with the machinery surrounding it?" He pointed out a section to the hole Snake was looking out of.

"Ahhh, yes," Snake recalled, "That may be dangerous. You'll have to get in between a lot of working parts. Wires, pipes, and gears of a strong metallic composition."

Thomas winced a little, "Really? This could be trouble." He slumped back against the wall, "An army of robots, a massive machine, and mechanical obstacles. How to deal with all of that."

There was a longer pause this time, as the two eye the diagrams from their respective angles.

"What will you be doing after this?" Thomas said in a quieter tone, "Returning to the Guild or Scouts Union for the next mission?"

Snake answered, "At least, until the crisis is over. After that, I don't know. Probably going to rest, relax with some rations, and read some mags until the next mission."

"Sounds exciting," Thomas deadpanned.

"Not too exciting than what you did after work in Lastation," Snake retorted, "Your routine changed much in Planeptune?"

Thomas sweatdropped, "Minus some night courses, pretty much similar to back then."

"Looks like we are still creatures of habit, born in a dark period but somehow able to pursue our duty," Snake trailed off a little, "And yet, everything changed. The conflict has changed. The goddesses have changed. But not us."

"No, Snake," Thomas shook his head, "I can't say that we haven't changed."

"Perhaps so," Snake murmured, before the two fell silent once more.

Eventually, the two realized that it was better not to just be sitting in the washroom. The two said their goodbyes to each other, and Snake shuffled away to report on his findings, leaving Thomas to hold onto the sheets of paper to further examine.

Thomas sat down in the hallway, at a small bench, flipping through the papers while his mind tried to come up with a plan. There was a small passage of time, as Rom and Ram passed by to check on some of the rooms. Eventually, Thomas dropped the papers on his lap, and clapped, "I got it. Time to get everyone on board. We might actually win this."

What could Thomas be planning? How will our heroes save Lastation from this giant behemoth? Will there be another commercial break in the future? Will this story have sponsors? I guess we will find out more in the next chapter. Except the last question, I'm sure the answer is no.


	44. ACT III: Planning Phase

Heading back to the staff room, Thomas asked for the rest of the party to return so he could come out with his plan to take down the Land Carrier. Thomas moved a few tables together and put the basic diagram in the middle, ready to use it as a map.

Thomas took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down while waiting for the others to arrive back inside. Rom and Ram were not the only ones exploring the hotel during the break, after all.

Apparently, IF went to the roof and kept out of sight so she could better scout out what was between them and the Basilicom. Upon returning, she decided to brief Thomas on a few details. She was confident, with some skill, that they could get to an industrial building closer to the Basilicom that could be their springboard for whatever plan they had.

Both Noire and Uni were out talking with the Guild Woman, learning more about how people were holding out in Lastation. In addition, they found out more about the nation's industrial sector, which robots have shut down and have a few odd patrols making sure it stayed that way.

The Lastation sisters were the last to arrive, as Uni sat at the far end of the table, while Noire sat at the middle, staring intently at the papers Thomas laid down. With everyone in the party sitting around the table, Thomas nodded, "Thank you, everyone. What you see in front of you is a basic schematic of the Land Carrier. One scout has reported back to the Guild, along with some supplementary information from others, and I believe we have just enough to formulate a plan."

"Basic is right," Neptune cringed at the printed mess on the table, "It looks like someone's ASCII art project from decades ago."

"Well observed, Neptune," Thomas said, "According to the source, we're dealing with a lot of old tech scrambling to adapt to the newer technologies of today. If Histoire's theory that this is an old viral program on the fritz are true, it looks like it's been trying to adjust to today's standards. That might explain the weird mish-mash of pre-sentient robot designs, and some more advanced tech. Advanced armored plating, but glaring weaknesses to exploit. Sniper robots with excellent vision at points, but some robots with narrow vision, like those patrolling the streets with giant search lights."

"Perhaps whatever's behind this didn't plan this out as well as initially expected?" Blanc speculated, draping her arms onto her edge of the table, "The good news, at least, is that we may still have some sort of edge on these guys."

"Precisely," Thomas nodded, pacing a little back and forth, while speaking out his thought process, "Currently, the last thing the robots knew of us was down in the subway tunnels. I don't know how long it will be, but for now, our location's an unknown. We need to keep low and strike right at the heart of their operations here. Which leads us to this monstrosity."

Thomas motioned to the schematics, "The Land Carrier is divided between two main levels, although the first level is quite large and makes up most of the machine. The small upper level is home to its power source. The scouts couldn't go up there, as it was pretty fortified. However, from these papers, we can make out that this is the weak spot. Getting to that weak spot will be tricky, though."

Thomas went to the schematics to point out the upper level, "Outside, the armor of this beast is extremely thick, except for this one spot at the front here. This is a hangar for many of the robot jets, so flying in there may be difficult, if we want to get through to the power source."

Pointing down at the main lower level, Thomas continued, "This level contains a lot of machinery. There are a couple of sections and platforms that people can go on, but it is a general mess of electronics, and could be a hazard for any of us. The good news, though, is we can use this to keep our element of surprise. There are many poorly-lit areas and places to hide here, so we can sneak around."

Thomas tapped on two locations with his hands, one on each side, "Even better, there are two areas where anyone with a basic understanding of computer tech can get into the systems. Security is oddly lax in this regard, which is why the scouts managed to get this info. Getting into the system, we can override and shut down the two major obstacles to stopping this thing: the production line of new robots on front, here." He tapped the first location, lining an area up to the middle. He then pointed to the other portion, "And the control mechanism for the massive drill and the treads moving this thing. If we do this, we can buy a good few minutes of downtime to push through and get to that power source."

"What kind of power source is it?" Nepgear asked, naturally curious to the make up of this thing, "And if we get to it, how do we handle it without blowing ourselves up with it?"

Thomas flinched a little, looking like he didn't like the idea of sacrifice one bit, "No one's giving up themselves for this. Besides, I propose a plan that will handle that issue. As for what kind of power source it is? I don't think any of us know. Not even the scouts had any info on that in these papers. A lot of technical details are in here, but not much in the way of what exactly powers it."

Nepgear's eyes sparkled, "Oooh. Maybe it's a new alternative energy source!"

"I-I don't think it's going to be that innovative, Nepgear," Uni grimaced.

Thomas cleared his throat, "In any case, allow me to state my plan."

For a visual feel to this, let's pretend to see this mapped on the schematic, with a little Chirper icon to show who made up this plan. Strategy! Or something. Thomas laid out his plan, explaining from his perspective.

* * *

 **THOMAS' PLAN**

* * *

Since the scouts could sneak in, we can all sneak in through the front of the machine. I suggest we do this in the night, when there will be less lighting outside.

From there, we split into two groups. Group A will be focused on the production while Group B moves towards the controls. The controls are further up, so we will need people who are able to move stealthily through this part. Using whatever communication we have, cellphones, the N-Gear, or Uzume's radio, we'll both simultaneously get in and override the two sections, bringing the machine to a standstill.

We will no doubt attract attention at this point from the still-active robots. Group A will be in charge of protecting the entrance and keeping the robots distracted while Group B moves up. There are a few floating platforms leading to a small lift. From there, Group B will enter the main power room. A timed explosive will be placed. The explosive will be provided by the Guild, as I recall some of the supplies I see in those boxes include some military hardware.

Anyway, once the charge is set, Group B shall notify Group A, and both make their retreat. Group A will flee through the front while Group B will fly off from the hangar.

If all goes well, the Carrier will no longer be a threat, and we can open the barrier around the city and mop up the rest.

* * *

"You think this will work?" Uzume asked, after Thomas leaned back from the table.

"I believe the goddesses are capable to execute this plan just fine," Thomas answered, leaving the group quiet for a few seconds to think about it.

Thomas closed his eyes, thinking that his plan would be sufficient enough. He knew the goddesses could use HDD to retreat, so the hangar would be an excellent exit. If things got difficult on the second floor, the group on the first floor could clear the way for the others to get out. Getting in wouldn't be too bad, either, given the weird tunnel vision the robots have. The plan may have flaws, he thought, but it should be enough to get the job done.

"I disagree with this plan," Noire finally spoke out, her eyes still looking down at the map, "For a plan requiring us to strike quickly, there was a lot of sneaking around."

Thomas blinked over at Noire, and admitted, "It is true we sneak around. However, if we want to keep our advantage, we could make things much easier for all of us and get to that power source with little fuss."

"It's completely unnecessary," Noire countered, as she looked up at him, "If you have that much faith in the goddesses, we wouldn't need to sneak around inside that machine that long. We should take a far more direct approach to this."

"You've already formulated another plan?" Thomas quirked an eyebrow at this.

"Of course," Noire stated calmly, "Here's how we deal with this."

* * *

 **NOIRE'S PLAN**

* * *

The first floor is a waste of time and energy. Not to mention, if we somehow get spotted, we'll alert the entire robot army to our location. If we're going to strike, we strike quickly.

We will use one of the nearby empty buildings and move to the roof. We will keep quiet until nightfall, when the robots are on their nightly patrols.

Speed is of the essence here, so we're going to blast right into their hangar. Those robots overwhelmed Lastation with their surprise and numbers. **We** will overwhelm them here, with surprise and the power of the CPUs.

We'll keep pushing until we reach their power source, set off the explosives, and bail out before the robots can regroup. With the Carrier disabled, we can engage in mopping up the rest.

* * *

"Quick, simple, and to the point," Noire stated after finishing, "So, shall we get going?"

Thomas' eyes widened, and he held his hands on the table, looking at Noire, "Hold on a second. None of us agreed to anything yet. Besides, this plan has several issues as well that need to be addressed."

"I think my plan should hold up fine," Noire countered, glancing away from Thomas and purposely avoiding eye contact.

Thomas grimaced, "What's to guarantee that we can make it to the hangar without getting noticed? The moment the CPUs fly up in the night sky, they'll be spotted. The jets inside the hangar will be launched to intercept and get in the way. Those HDD forms aren't exactly known for hiding in the shadows."

"We can take care of those things," Noire blew it off, "We can even split between one group to handle the robots, and one to deal with the Carrier. Shouldn't be a problem."

"And what of those of us who don't have the ability to fly?" Thomas added, "IF, Compa, and myself aren't CPUs, after all."

"We can carry them, as we did in the subway," Noire answered, "Those people can be part of the group going into the hangar. Besides, this plan allows for any of you three to hang back, keep an eye on things. You know."

"No, I don't," Thomas said, though he had an idea, "Elaborate."

"Look, not all of us want to rush into a dangerous situation," Noire attempted a diplomatic tone, though it was lost on Thomas, "We come out with ways to get around that and sneak by. And that idea to go through the subway, I can get behind. It got a lot more dangerous than we thought, but we all managed. Now, however, we don't have a lot of time to waste. The longer that thing is out there, the longer the robots have this grip on the city. The people in this city need help as soon as possible. If you want, you can hang back and let us handle the rest."

"Excuse me?" Thomas was somewhat offended by this. It was true that he wasn't too thrilled about fighting or getting into these risky situations. Despite this, he was under the impression that he would be involved. It didn't help matters that earlier, since Noire joined, Thomas was trying to show that he could be of use. Noire was apparently doing the same, or showing that she could do fine without his help. Now here was Noire telling, er, suggesting that he could stay back.

Something clicked in Thomas' mind, as he asked, "Are you saying the reason you took the subway path was so you can take out that Carrier on your own?"

"N-Not at all," Noire kept up her tone, although she looked a bit nerved by Thomas looking more irritated. Even some of the other members of the party were picking up on it, shifting uncomfortably in their seats. Neptune pondered butting in as she normally would, but wasn't sure at this point.

"This plan of yours is fairy simple, right?" Thomas started off, "Quick, simple, to the point. So simple, it relied on the abilities and brute force of a CPU to carry it out. You probably think you could go in yourself and handle every robot in there."

"O-of course!" Noire said as she held a hand to her chest, "I am the CPU of this nation. I only do everything. I'll be able to handle this all in no time flat! Just you wait and see!"

Thomas grew more frustrated by the response, "Is that so? If you could do everything, you certainly took your time doing something about it." He pointed in the direction where he figured the main camp they were at was, "While you were contemplating how to do everything, people were working hard to save this nation. Those people are now just waiting and seeing."

"Th-that's different," Noire was starting to get irritated as well, and she wasn't taking it so well, either. Thomas was getting all flustered because of something he generally didn't want to do, anyway? What was his problem? Noire was simply helping out someone who, as far as she knew, was reluctant to be in such a fight. "It's not like I'm worried about others getting hurt or anything!" Noire exclaimed, "It's just that, right now, ending this fight quickly is better than sneaking around."

"I strongly disagree," Thomas shot back, "It's a blind charge into a main base. Even the scouts couldn't get through whatever defenses they had. It's reckless."

"Reckless?" Noire slowly stood up as the two stared daggers at each other, "You want to talk reckless? Have you taken a look at how you've been fighting lately? You clearly were out of your own element, yet you tried so hard to show off... what, that you can wield a saber around for a bit? There's more to battle than flailing around and using a new skill to give the enemies a quick bath."

Thomas smirked, before responding, "Oh, I know. Which is why my idea is much better for this scenario."

"You don't even know for certain if you can even get into the main power room from below," Noire said as her tone became more harsh. In fact, the two were clearly becoming more argumentative, with both leaning on the table and glaring at each other. "What are you going to do if you can't get in? Just back and run away, like you usually do?" Noire tacked on the second question after a while, as she was getting frustrated with Thomas.

Thomas, for his part, was just as miffed. Although the question about what would happen if they couldn't reach the second floor was legitimate, the other did little but anger him further. The escalation continued, with Thomas saying coldly, "Least I would be actively doing something, not just parking myself beside a cannon and staring at a barrier all day."

"I wasn't **just** doing that!" Noire took the bait, and the two got into an angry staring contest, "How dare you make such a suggestion!"

"Then don't dare suggest I would simply run, especially now," Thomas seethed.

"Oh, **now** you want to be involved?" Noire said with a hint of surprise in her tone, "Couldn't tell by your previous complaining."

"Uh, guys?" Neptune was trying to think of a way to stop the two, but she was slowly losing that chance to stop this momentum. Quick, Neptune, think of a joke! Something to defuse the situation! Neptune sweatdropped, as the pressure to do this caught her off-guard. Oops.

"In the end, I was still willing to go. Of course, the goddess who can do everything chose now to suggest charging in," Thomas continued on.

"We should not waste more of our time dawdling," Noire retorted, "If you can't handle that, then stay right here for all I care."

"I refuse," Thomas grew more stubborn, "And I still insist that your plan is flawed."

"Drop the tough guy act," Noire exclaimed, "No one believes that if they spent enough time with a whiny moron like you."

Thomas flinched, "At least I wouldn't be constantly pretending I am above most help, especially if that someone once called you an egotistical jerk."

The argument deteriorated, as the two threw more insults at each other. Noire grew more angry, spitting out, "You! You freakin' idiot! You... you obstinate bureaucrat."

"Dishonest ice queen."

"Careless rookie adventurer."

"Glory-seeking despot."

"Bumbling busybody."

"Mopey mistress."

"Pigheaded troglodyte."

"Bothersome braggart!"

"Angsty airhead!"

"Smart aleck!"

"Imbecile!"

"Poser!"

"Jackass!"

"That's enough!" Uni finally spoke up, slamming her hands on the table and glaring at the two from her end of the table, "You two are absolutely terrible!"

"Uni?" The two oddly said her name in similar tone at about the same time. Noticing this, the two froze in a bit of awkwardness.

"If you two can't make up each other's minds, then I'll propose my plan," Uni crossed her arms, "Lastation is my nation too, you know! And in order to take down that Carrier, we're going to need both strength and cunning to get rid of it!" Uni was clearly fed up with the two, and wanted to bring the discussion back to the Land Carrier.

Noire and Thomas blinked in confusion, while Uni began to mention her plan.

* * *

 **UNI'S PLAN**

* * *

The last two plans had one glaring issue, and that was the fact that this Carrier is parked right outside the Basilicom, with many robots surrounding it. We need to do something about this before moving in.

The plan I propose involves three teams. I will lead the first group, Thomas will lead the second group, and Noire will lead the third.

My team, consisting of myself, Nepgear, Rom and Ram, will engage and distract the robots away from the Basilicom. We will try to draw out these forces, and even the Carrier if we're lucky, away and to the outskirts of the city, just before the barrier. This will be accomplished through a secret project I was overlooking in Lastation. That means we'll be heading out to secure it after this meeting. We will contact the other groups when we are good to go.

During this distraction, Thomas, IF, and Compa will sneak on board the Carrier, and move through the first floor to disable the production line and the drill. If you can somehow use the old terminals to stop the Carrier in its tracks, the better. I will be relying on you three to keep a low profile and make things a little easier for the last group.

Noire's group will consist of the CPUs. Once Thomas' group is done, they will signal to the other group and fall back. The CPUs will charge in through the hangar. By this point, the robots should be plenty distracted by what's happened. The CPUs will then make it to the power source and set up the explosives, destroying that giant piece of junk.

The plan has risks for everyone involved, but I believe this is the better option we have.

* * *

"Any questions?" Uni asked, as both Noire and Thomas still looked on, dumbfounded.

There was another pause, as the party was a little uncomfortable after the altercation. Breaking the silence was Neptune, who raised her hand like she was in a classroom. "Uh, yes, Neptune?" Uni looked at the Planeptune CPU, curious.

Neptune kept her usual, cheerful tone, "Yeah, uh, I was thinking. This plan sounds really good, but might I request a tiny amendment?"

"What kind of suggestion do you have?" Uni tilted her head.

"I think Tommy's group is severely understaffed, even for a small task force designed for infiltration of the enemy base," Neptune stated, "So I humbly request that I be added? I can be sneaky too! Plus, having a CPU around couldn't hurt their shot of success, right?"

"Uh, well," Uni thought for a moment, then shrugged, "Whatever. Sure, Neptune, you can be in the group. Everyone's in groups of four that way. Will that do?"

"Yep! I'm in! Show of hands for Uni's plan!" Neptune raised her hand again, and everyone minus the stunned Noire and Thomas followed.

"Good, that's settled," Uni said, "Nepgear? Rom? Ram? You're ready to get going now? I'll fill you all in on where we're going on the way."

Nepgear clapped her hands, "Of course, Uni! Let's show these robots how well we CPU Candidates fight!"

Rom smiled weakly, as she was rather startled by the Thomas/Noire spat, but she soon joined in, "Okay! Leave the healing to me!" She expected that the upcoming fight will rely a lot on her magic to keep the 'distraction' going, even with Uni's surprise.

"Ha, I'm super awesome at being irritating!" Ram joked, even if it was at her own expense, "This plan will go on swimmingly!"

The CPU Candidates were the first to leave the meeting, as Uni shook her head at the two, who were still stunned. Eventually, Blanc slowly stood up from her seat, "Well, that was certainly... interesting. I'm gonna go see Rom and Ram off, so please excuse me." She bowed her head a little, before turning to follow the girls out the staff room's front exit.

After another awkward pause, Thomas, feeling a whole mix of feelings, decided to flee, "E-e-excuse me, I'm gonna go see if I can take a quick nap." Unlike the others taking their time, Thomas turned, and rushed towards the other exit, on the other side of the building, so he would find a quiet spot to rest. Noire was still standing there, looking increasingly nervous.

"Ah crap!" Uzume whispered aloud to herself, and got up, "Excuse me." She rushed over to the back door and exited without much explanation.

IF raised a hand to facepalm, "Ah, that... went poorly. Come on, Compa, Nep, let's go take a breather."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, let's go," Compa stood up with IF, and looked to Neptune, "Come on, Nep-Nep. Let's send best of luck to Ge-Ge and the others."

"You're right, I should probably do that," Neptune said, after a hint of reluctance in her tone, "I'm sure Nep Junior will be alright, but I wanna give her a little pep talk all the same."

"Let's just go," IF said quickly, motioning for Compa, but really Neptune, to leave the front exit, leaving Noire all by herself in the room.

Oh, hold on, there's one more person. As Noire finally broke her pause and slid down into her chair, a yawning Plutia stretched in her seat, before standing up and sitting down in the seat Thomas left.

Plutia shifted in the seat a bit, still keeping that sleepy-eyed, smiling look of hers as she turned to look at Noire, "That did not go too well, huh?"

Noire slumped down in her seat, sighing and looking down towards her feet, crestfallen. Plutia waited for a few seconds, before her smile faded, and she asked politely, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Noire took another deep breath while she folded her hands into her lap. However, after a few more seconds, Noire grimaced, "N-no, not right now." She slowly stood up from her seat, as Plutia was a little surprised by the response.

"Plu?" Plutia quietly spoke out, before shaking her head, "Noire, are you really going to be like this? That didn't look too good for either of you."

"I know it looked bad," Noire admitted, "But I need to handle this. I don't need your help here."

"Are you sure?" Plutia offered, "I've seen my Noire act angry sometimes, and even at others, and it's not something I like to see-"

Noire flinched a little, and looked over at Plutia, "Let's get one thing straight, Plutia. I appreciate you helping out and everything. I do. However, whatever relationship you had with my lookalike in your dimension, does not apply here."

"But you're both Noire," Plutia blinked at her, looking up at her from her seat.

Noire grew more frustrated, "No. She might be your best f-f-friend or whatever, but I am not that Noire. I don't even know much about you, other than what other people told me. And... I really don't want to talk about it to you, or anyone else."

"But Noire," Plutia grumbled, "Even if you're not that Noire, I still feel bad seeing you fight like this."

"I'll deal with it," Noire muttered.

"I hope so," Plutia said as she tapped a finger to her cheek, "I don't want to get angry during another argument like that."

Noire stopped, before leaning down on the table, similar to when she stared down at Thomas, and glared at Plutia, mouthing quietly, "Listen closely. I don't take very kindly to threats, and I don't care if you are angry or not. If you want us to work out our differences, I suggest you stay out of this. Got it?"

"Noire..." Plutia said in a disappointed tone, but the two stared at each other for a bit before Noire turned away.

"I'm going to go see Uni off," Noire stated, as she turned her back away to Plutia, "I apologize for the outburst. I'm gonna go apologize to Uni too."

Plutia stayed quiet, as Noire slowly shuffled her way to the front exit, "It... never mind. I'll meet with you later." Noire nervously headed out.

Plutia slumped back in her chair, looking a little irritated, but mostly disappointed, as she folded her arms into her lap, "That didn't go so well, either." She grumbled. She didn't really want to get angry during any future argument, partly because of her little 'deal' with Uzume, but also because she wanted to hold off using her CPU self to solve this issue. Something about doing so didn't get in the way in previous spats between some people, but this was a special case. At least, she thought it was a special case. She just didn't know exactly why it was.

Plutia pouted, "Why do I feel like this?" She shook her head some more, feeling conflicted between many of her emotions, "This sucks."

* * *

Leaving the staff room quickly, Thomas walked briskly through the small hallway down another wing of the hotel. He wanted to get away from what had happened, and was feeling miserable about it. Thomas slowed down near the end of the hallway, and, in a fit of anger, turned to punch the wall beside him.

"Damnit," Thomas said, under his breath with gritted teeth, "It happened again." Despite the apparent desire from both parties to patch things up, it seemed that both have let their anger get the better of them. Thomas then winced as he felt some pain from punching the wall, "Ow."

Thomas' cheeks grew red, looking more and more like a tomato, while he pulled back his hand and shook it to help get some feeling back. He sighed heavily, trying to vent out whatever emotions he had earlier. He then turned back around, seeing Uzume stopped in the hallway a little away.

Uzume saw Thomas' frustration, but as she was being noticed, she tried to stand firm, holding a fist up. Part of her wanted to bop Thomas on the head again, but she resisted. She had to be more serious for this, she reasoned. Even Thomas could see Uzume shuffle a bit before taking her dramatic stance.

"Yo, Tomsy, what the hell?" Uzume spoke out, looking cross, "What just happened back there with you and Noirsy? Hell, what just happened in general with you two?"

Thomas, still quite red, turned his face to the side, biting his lower lip. There was an awkward silence, as Uzume slowly lost her patience. "Tomsy?" Uzume frowned, unsure if Thomas heard or ignored her.

"Everyone saw it," Thomas muttered, his voice cracking a little, "We argued over which plan to use, and it got heated."

"Don't give me that," replied an annoyed Uzume, "That was not some simple planning argument. I may not know you two that well, but that did not seem like a little tiff."

Thomas frowned, before saying quietly, "That... would be correct. The two of us have had disagreements before. We have been arguing and insulting each other, unfortunately, since our first meeting. We have gotten on each other's nerves."

Uzume hmmed a bit, looking back and recalling the scene, "Have you two tried to smooth things over before?"

"A few times," Thomas said, shaking his head, "It hasn't worked so well. Our first impressions of each other have affected us so much that we keep bringing it up. It's why, eventually, my times visiting Lastation from Planeptune was working with Uni, not lady Noire. So, things have been awkward."

Thomas stomped one of his feet, cursing, "Damnit." He stopped himself from punching the wall again. Instead, he slammed his fist down into his other hand.

Uzume looked back to Thomas' frustration, and said, "I thought you put faith in all of the goddesses."

"I do," Thomas said, "I believe she is just as capable as the others. I haven't even met lady Vert, and I believe in her as I do the others. I just... I have a problem making friends, I guess?"

Uzume quirked an eyebrow, "Odd you say that." Considering Noire has had difficulties, it seemed the two of them have gone about this all wrong.

Thomas finally threw his hands, "Sorry, I can't right now. I know you probably mean well, but I... I need to rest after that."

"Wait, you can just go back and-"

"And what?" Thomas cut her off, "Please, Uzume, just let it be for now. I'll... I'll find some way."

"I can help you with this, you know," Uzume offered.

"Why?" Thomas raised his eyebrows at Uzume, "Why does it matter to you that much?"

"Well, I," Uzume paused a moment in hesitation, "That's to say, I hate to see the two of you like this."

"We'll manage, eventually," Thomas muttered, "I hope." He then shook his head, "But now, I'm having a headache. I'm gonna find a room to rest in." He grumbled again, before turning away and beginning his search for an empty room to sleep.

Perplexed, Uzume watched Thomas wandering off, and shook her head. Although she got some more information, she likely wasn't going to convince Thomas of anything. Thomas looked even more tired than usual, as well.

"What a pain," Uzume muttered, turning back around to let the tired man find a room on his own. Uzume had to get ready on her end, anyway. Plutia, Blanc, and Noire would be relying on her quite soon.

At the very least, they had a plan to work on, now. How will the CPU Candidates distract the robots? What is Uni's surprise? Will things go smoothly from here onward? How will Noire and Thomas handle each other, moving forward? Lastly, what do you, the reader, think of this plan? Would you have gone with any of the options, or make your own? Stay tuned for the next installment! Hopefully with less vitriol.


	45. ACT III: Into Position

**("Yo. Thought I'd make another note here as we get into the next chapter, with an answer to some feedback given earlier. I may as well try and answer as best I can.**

 **Will Thomas be as strong as the CPUs? Pffffffffffffthahahahaha, no. Please no. He'll improve, but I don't want to end up doing that. I'm sure some of his skills he's learning/going to learn might be really useful, and he'll move the plot along, but come on, he's no CPU. Not happening.**

 **As for this being a harem fic? Uhhh, well, not quite? I will note that while I might likely use elements from those kind of stories, and tease whatever comes to mind, I don't plan on having it end like that. There will not be a harem ending. Any possible pairing this fic ends up with might not even end in romance. It's meant to determine Thomas' fate, as far as the ending goes. I can't say too much more, as that gets into more spoiler territory. But yeah, no harem. I just can't picture it, for either the OC or the girls. Apologies to those who wanted that.**

 **Besides, the whole thing is to ask you guys to try and convince me which way I should go. Not the rest of the internet. So, get to convincing me already! Oh, and enjoy this chapter, I guess." - Idiot Author)**

* * *

 **Party changed: Uni, Nepgear, Rom, Ram**

 **Nepgear's icon popped up, stating: "Seeing Lastation look so quiet and empty... It's disheartening."**

* * *

After checking their own inventory and supplies, the CPU Candidates readied themselves to initiate the first part of Uni's plan. The older sisters met up for one last 'pep talk' with their younger ones, though it was a bit embarrassing for the four.

Blanc made sure the twins stocked up on their items, to which Ram got a little annoyed. "Geez, Blanc, we're fine! We've got all our stuff from our time at the Expo, and more," Ram complained, "We don't need to bring an extra change of underwear."

In fairness, Blanc wasn't suggesting they bring an extra change of clothes.

Neptune tried to rally her younger sister, although it turned out to be Neptune mixing up quotes, ending with, "If you're going through an eggplant crop, keep going!"

Nepgear sweatdropped, correcting her sister, "Uh, I think you meant to say 'through hell', Neptune."

Neptune blinked, wondering where the mistake was.

Finally, in an awkward exchange, Noire apologized to Uni for the outburst from much earlier. Even after that, Uni shook her head, "It's okay, big sis. I don't think I am the one you should be speaking to about that, though."

Even though there was another odd pause, Noire told Uni, "Be careful, okay?" Uni nodded, "You too." With that, the CPU Candidates got their things and carefully headed outside, making sure not to be spotted while leaving the hotel.

Away from their sisters, Uni sighed a little in frustration. Nepgear peered over, asking, "You okay, Uni?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Uni replied, "Just a bit annoyed by those two. No time to think about that right now, though. We've got a job to do."

"Well, tell us Uni!" Ram said as she bounced a little, "Where are we supposed to go to find this super secret thingy you're hinting at?"

"Right," Uni turned to look west, "There's an industrial sector to the west of us. One building in particular is where we've stored our little surprise. I doubt the robots either know of it, or done anything with it. We're going to check it out before starting our distraction."

"What if what you're looking for isn't there?" Rom asked, slightly concerned.

"Then we'll just have to do our distraction without it," Uni admitted, wincing, "Sorry I volunteered you all for this."

"We voted for the plan, dummy," Ram pointed at Uni, "That means we **want** to go with you!"

"Right," Nepgear nodded, "Uni, we've put our trust in you here, so you don't have to worry about us. We'll follow!"

Rom added simply, "Uh huh!"

Uni chuckled, as she folded her arms in front of her chest, "Huh. Th-thanks, all of you. Let's get to it, then. Just remember to keep low. We want to keep the element of surprise."

Nepgear turned to look down where they had to travel. She then pumped both her fists up, saying quite enthusiastically, "O-kay!"

"Nepgear!" Ram exclaimed in a harsh whisper, "We gotta be super sneaky! That means not being too loud!"

"Oh, right! Sorry, got a bit excited," Nepgear tittered.

Uni sighed quietly, "This might be doomed from the start."

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Rom's icon appeared, with the message: "Everyone is working hard. I gotta try hard, too."**

* * *

Dashing between buildings, the four CPU Candidates use their sneaking skills to make their way west. The four manage to make some headway, thanks to the tunnel vision of the few robot patrols. Avoiding giant spotlights along the ground was not too difficult for the group, even if a bit odd for the robots to not notice the bright colors of some of our heroines. I mean, Rom and Ram aren't exactly blending in with Lastation's color scheme.

"If we weren't being sneaky," Ram quietly boasted as the group hid at the corner of an abandoned building, watching one patrol fly by, "I'd give these things the biggest blizzard anyone's ever seen."

"Save that energy for later, Ram," Uni noted, "We'll definitely need it down the line."

Ram grinned, "Good! Maybe I can wow everyone then, get a few new people to witness my awesomeness as the new Sage of Gamindustri."

"You're really going to go with that, huh?" Nepgear asked, as the group watched the patrol move just far enough so that the group can move down again.

"Of course!" Ram said, as they carefully walked, making sure to use whatever they could find as cover, "I gotta show that I can be reliable too!"

Rom listened to Ram's boast, while asking Uni, "Uh, miss Uni? What are we exactly getting, and how will it help us?"

"Oh!" Uni blinked, "Well, it's a prototype for a new military vehicle we've been developing. It was supposed to be one of those top secret projects we'd keep under wraps for a while before unveiling it to the world. So much for that. I was responsible for some of the design, and Noire gave the go-ahead."

"No fair," Nepgear pouted, "You're allowed to build that, but complain that I don't let Histoire know about my underground lab?"

"I actually got permission from Noire," Uni noted, "It's not like I'm keeping it a secret from her. Besides, it's just this design I know of. I'm not building an underground lab or a gi-"

"IgetitIgetit!" Nepgear interrupted, shaking a little, "Never mind all that! Hehe, anyway, w-what kind of vehicle is it? We can actually get it to work?"

Uni moved on, "We should be able. I'll do a quick check to make sure everything's good to go. If everyone goes well, we can use it to buy more time."

"I-is it really that strong?" Rom asked, looking over at where the giant Land Carrier was parked briefly, "Can it really stand up to that?"

Uni smirked a little, "Don't underestimate it just because it's a little small. You'll see soon enough."

Rom nodded, "Okay!" She did put her trust in the plan, and Uni's confidence was enough to convince her. Despite this, Rom felt a little glum. The other three, still moving carefully, did notice this, as Rom wasn't doing anything to hide her emotions.

"Rom?" Nepgear was first to speak to her, "Is something the matter?"

Rom tilted her head at Nepgear, "Hmm? Miss Nepgear... Everyone is doing all sorts of great things. Ram is trying to become a great magician, Uni is making vehicles, and even you have something going on. I... I don't know what I want to do."

"Oh Rom, you don't need to rush yourself," Nepgear smiled, "You are already doing great as a CPU Candidate."

"I'm glad," Rom smiled weakly, "Still, I want to do something too!"

"Well," Nepgear pondered on this, while Uni and Ram checked on ahead, "We've been following some of our own hobbies. Don't you have something you like to do?"

"I like picture books," Rom answered from the top of her head.

Nepgear nodded a little, as she led Rom with her, following Uni and Ram's lead as they moved to the next building to use as cover. Once they got to cover, Nepgear thought aloud, "Oh! So, like Blanc, maybe you're interested in expressing your creativity? Maybe writing books? No, wait! Maybe you might want to draw instead? Draw your own picture books? Or comics?"

Rom thought about this for a moment. "I do like all those things," Rom said, "But it's more like something for fun. I like people reading books to me. Making them? I dunno."

Ram decided it was her turn to make a suggestion to Rom, "Hey Rom, maybe you'd like to join me on my quest? I mean, we're both really good with magic. We could become the most awesome Sage-y duo!"

Rom giggled, "That's great, Ram!" She then shook her head, "I have to say no, though."

Ram was legitimately shocked by this, almost shouting out her surprise. She quickly caught herself, but still asked, "What? Why not, Rom?"

"I still want to support you on your goal, Ram," Rom answered, twiddling her fingers together, "I think you'll be a great Sage!" She then got into the reason, "But, I want to do something on my own too, you know?"

Ram pouted a little, but eventually turned it into a smirk, "I understand, sis! Whatever it is you wanna do, I'll help out!"

Uni patted Rom on the shoulder, as the group took a moment to wait until the patrols moved further away, "Rom, you don't need to force yourself to finding something right away. I'm sure something will pique your interest."

"Okay, miss Uni," Rom took the words to heart. Although she was the older of the Lowee twins, Rom was still a shy, young CPU. She wasn't going to take the initiative, or boast about how amazing she'll be. She still wanted to enjoy her time in Lowee, being read stories and playing with Ram, Blanc, Nepgear, and everyone else. At the same time, though, seeing even her sister looking to the future made her feel like she was being left behind.

"It doesn't matter what happens to us in the future," Nepgear told Rom, trying to bring her out of her rut, "We'll still be around to support you."

"Exactly, Rom!" Ram bounced a bit, "I'm still gonna be your sister. So, don't worry so much about it."

Rom nodded, quietly sighing, "You're right. I do have time to think about all this. Sorry I was being a little sad."

"Think nothing of it," Uni smiled, before looking across the street, "I look forward to when you decide on what you'd like to do. Please let us know!"

"I will!" Rom's face brightened, as she put her worry aside.

She did still have time.

* * *

Hiding in Lastation's industrial sectors was much easier than others. The buildings were more dense, leading to many alleys and places to use for cover. Although there were a few robots patrolling this part of town, it seemed that they decided, for the most part, to stay away from these areas, relying on jets flying overhead with their search lights.

The four would eventually come across what appeared to be an abandoned storage facility. Whether it was abandoned long ago or due to the lockdown, the place looked like a mess on the outside. There were industrial materials laying around the building, from steel bars to small metal castings. One could speculate what industries would use some of these materials, but right now, they were collecting dust just outside the actual storage facility.

"We're right here," Uni pointed to the building for the others, "It's right inside that building."

"Goodness," Nepgear blinked at the messy surroundings, "How are we going to get to it? The building must be overflowing with junk." She paused, looking closer at the junk, and reassessing its worth, "Remind me to come back later to look for good scrap."

"Yes, Nepgear, later," Uni grimaced, "But that's the thing with this building. It only looks full." As the four hid behind some leftover crates in an alleyway, Uni pointed out one of the storage doors, which was conveniently away from all the other storage doors, on the other side of the building. Several crates were stacked nearby, giving the first impression that this section was already full. Uni continued, "When the project was underway, we'd bring the materials here, and assemble further inside the building."

Uni stopped speaking and hid back with the others, as one of the robot jets flew by with its search light, going down the street and passing by our heroines. Looking up, Uni could see another jet following on a similar route to the one that flew by. "Stay back," Uni warned, "I'll try and get the door open on my own... right after this next pass."

The other three did as told, though Ram looked a little impatient. Being told to wait, even for good reason, was not something Ram wanted to do. Still, she waited with both Nepgear and Rom, hoping the stupid robot would hurry up on their boring routine pass.

Uni waited patiently, until the other robot passed by on its patrol, missing the group and moving on. As soon as the robot had its back turned on the group, Uni quietly snuck past, and got to the storage door. She checked around the door, before finding a little opening where she could pull the door open. Nepgear was nervous, looking between Uni and the next robot in the far-off distance that would be making its pass.

The door made some noise as Uni lifted it up about halfway. She quickly waved to the others to get in, and the three ran across the street, with Rom trailing at the back. Nepgear and Ram ducked under the door and got inside the seemingly empty storage room. Uni helped Rom get in, as the robot was getting close with its search light. Uni scrambled to get under the door as she hurriedly closed it, barely able to do so before the robot could see anything. Hopefully for them, the noise wasn't enough to get the robot's attention.

In the darkness of the small, empty room, Uni whispered, "Stay quiet. Let's be sure we're in the clear." There was a tense moment of silence, with Nepgear and Uni standing in front of the twins, watching the door to see if the robot reacted. For a while, the group tensed further when they saw some light peering in the small crack at the bottom of the door. However, the moment passed, and the light faded away, leaving the four to relax, though in the dark.

"Well, we're in!" Ram said, "Buuuut boy, there's sure a lot of nothing in here!"

"It's very dark in here, and kinda scary," Rom said, before adding, "Fidget fidget."

Uni winced, "Ah, right. There's a hidden panel somewhere in this room. I'll get to it." She turned and walked to the back of the room, checking around the wall for a small panel. Eventually, she found and opened a small keypad that opened, and see typed a few of the keys, which lit up.

"Found it~!" Uni said happily, as the panel closed, and the back wall opened up to a larger area inside the building. Unfortunately, it had very little in the way of lighting, so all the group could see were a few outlines in the new room.

"I-i-it's still a little spooky in here," Rom quietly murmured, as she hid a little by her sister.

"It's safe in here, Rom," Uni assured her, "In any case, the vehicle's right there, under the large tarp."

"Goodness," Nepgear mouthed quietly, "How do we get inside that thing?"

Uni sighed a bit, "Just follow m-a...? Nepgear! Not that closely!"

"I need to see where you're going, don't I?" Nepgear explained, as she hunched right up to Uni's side, and probably invading too much of her personal space.

"It's not **that** dark in here! Stop breathing down my neck!" Uni flustered, inching further away from the sometimes-clingy CPU Candidate.

"Goodness, sorry!" Nepgear apologized, "I can hold my breath if you'd like! I'll hold it for as long as possible!"

"No, don't do that either! Just, urgh," Uni grew frustrated with Nepgear being too compliant, "Just whatever!" She grumbled and began walking towards the large tarp, as Nepgear tried to manage her breathing while keeping some distance from Uni. Ram held her sister's hand and walked close behind.

We go under the tarp, and presumably inside the vehicle, since I can't see a thing. Great, now you too can feel how I feel whenever I read this script, and told to describe what's going on. Go on, describe the scene in front of you! I'll wait.

On the plus side, I do hear some things on the outside. I hear some muffled noises and footsteps, along with more complaining from Uni. I'm guessing Nepgear was still being a bit silly.

Okay, even in the dark, I can now see a few silhouettes entering inside. It's still hard to see, although I do hear some metallic noise. They must be stepping on a metal floor or something.

"Wowee, there's a lot of space in this thing, I'm actually surprised!" Nepgear observed, as her voice pushed to the front of the vehicle. I think we're in the front? Help me out here, you four. I'm going crazy.

"I'm just going to check a few things back here," Uni said, helping me by calling from further back, "Just don't touch anything yet, okay?"

"I call shotgun!" Ram said excitedly, and there's a lot of shuffling as Ram pushed past the others and to what I assume is a seat. "What? Don't touch anything? Telling a kid this, even a super CPU Candidate like me, is just begging for me to randomly touch things!"

"Don't do it!" Uni warned, "Or you'll be hanging in the back for the rest of the trip."

"Oh, I was only teasing," Ram said, "Don't be such a worrywart."

"It's actually nice back here," Rom said as I could hear some small movement in the back, "Is it okay if I hang out back here, miss Uni?"

"Geez, everyone already getting comfortable?" Uni muttered as she stepped back to the front, before moving over to where Nepgear's been sitting, "You planning on starting this thing?"

"I think I can handle it," Nepgear said, in a tone that wasn't too confident, but not too worried, "Don't I need a license for this, though?"

"Uhhh, no?" Uni wasn't sure, herself, even as she shuffled to a seat in the middle, "Let's not get into those specifics right now. Anyway, everything looks good to go. I'll just let the others know we're in so they can get ready."

"Uhhh, what are we exactly going to do in this thing, Uni?" Ram asked.

A small screen lit up, as Uni buried herself in it, typing some messages to send to the others, "Hmm? Oh, I guess I'll give a crash course on how this thing works, huh?"

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the hotel with oddly better lighting, Uzume was back in the staff room, looking a little downcast as she was seated at the middle table. Having lingered around the vending machines long enough, she got herself a bottle of orange juice, and drank a couple of sips. After finishing the last sip, she slumped in her seat. She was not alone, either, as beside her, a disheveled Plutia rested her head on the table. Plutia was still awake, and looking rather glum as well.

"Are you two okay?" Compa came in, as IF and Neptune followed her into the staff room, seeing the two. Compa slid over to sit nearby, while IF stayed up and Neptune crashed on a sofa.

"Mission failed," Plutia grumbled, moving her head to meet with the table surface, leading to a muffled, "Nowa mahd ah meh."

IF shook her head, "Come on, get it together, you two. We don't need more people acting all downtrodden."

Uzume frowned, gripping a little tighter on the orange juice, "We failed to keep the peace. We didn't even try to stop those two from arguing. Uzume is totally bummed out by this." Her last sentence came out all mopey, before her frown deepened, and she went to chugging the rest of her orange juice.

"Oh, so that's what it was," Compa said, "I know both are under a lot of stress, but I'm very disappointed in the both of them."

"It couldn't be helped," IF stated, "I even told Thomas to get his act together. Maybe I should've wagged my finger at him more, or gave him actual threats."

"Ah agwee," Plutia muffled an agreement, while Uzume shook her head in the negative.

Compa hrmed, tilting her head at the two CPUs, "I don't know if either method will be that effective."

Neptune stretched on the sofa, before turning to hop off, "Okay, I can understand being a little down, but cheer up! Ah well, I guess I can't help but get involved now."

"Nep, what are you babbling about now?" IF grimaced at her friend.

"I'm just saying that you all don't need to worry," Neptune answered as she idly fiddled with one of her hoodie's strings, "I think I know what the issue is with Tommy, so I'll go talk with him about it. As for Noire, I think for now we should help her out with getting her nation back. I'm sure she'll be less stressed then."

"Well, I don't know enough about Thomas," IF admitted, "But you seem to know him more than some of us, so alright. Keep an eye on the guy." She then looked to Plutia and Uzume, "Shouldn't you two be getting ready with Noire and Blanc?"

Plutia leaned back up, blinking, "Ohhh, you're right. We should probably go, then."

Uzume tried scrunching up the empty juice bottle with her hand, but it was too big for her to do so. After some failed attempts, she sighed and tossed the bottle away neatly into a disposal bin, "Alrighty. I'm counting on ya, Nepsy."

"Easy peasy," Neptune cheerily said, as IF heard a small beep on one of her phones. As IF looked it over, Neptune said, "Uzume? Plutie? Please be careful, and keep Nowa and Blanny safe."

Uzume hummed an affirmative, with Plutia smiling. "You too, Neppy!" Plutia said as she was slow to get up from her chair.

IF spoke after, "You two go tell them to get ready. Uni's sent a message. The CPU candidates are waiting for us to get into position." She tapped a message to send to Thomas.

"I sure hope whatever Uni has will make for a good distraction," Compa said, "Ge-Ge and the others will be fine, right?"

"There's a lot of risk involved here," IF admitted, "But I believe those four can hold out long enough for us to do our thing. Speaking of which, we should hurry up."

Uzume blinked, "You heard Ifsy, let's go hurry to the others!"

"Gah, o-o-okay! Don't push!" Plutia whined, as the two awkwardly moved out of the staff room, leaving the three.

IF got another message, as she looked to Neptune and Compa, "Thomas got the message. He'll meet with us at the building near the Basilicom. Noire and the others will be close to the roof."

Neptune rubbed her chin in thought, while Compa spoke, "I'm getting kind of nervous about all of this."

"I can't say I blame you," IF muttered, "If not for that spat, we probably would've thought of another plan."

"This plan'll work," Neptune simply said, as though it was obvious, "With all of us pitching in, we'll have that machine scrapped."

IF laughed a bit, "Ever the optimist, Nep."

Neptune nodded, "Come on. Let's go! Go, and save the city!"

* * *

Thomas sat up from a bed in one of the empty rooms. Having been woken up from a brief nap, Thomas looked to see his phone flashing a message from IF. He murmured softly, trying to wake himself up before replying to the message. With the Candidates ready, Thomas could focus on the plan, and he typed as best he could to IF, saying he'll meet with the others.

After some struggling with the keys and hitting 'send' to IF, Thomas put away the phone, and groggily stood up from the bed to stretch himself. The nap did little to help with his restlessness, and as he stopped to lean against the wall, he grumbled, recalling the same recurring dream he's been having. The same voice as before. Fortunately for him, he was able to recall a little more.

Unfortunately, it was one word. To top it off, it wasn't a word he wanted to hear, at this point in time, or at all, to be honest.

"... disaster..."


	46. ACT III: Kandidaten und Something

**("This has been the longest 'break' between chapters since this fanfic had started in the last year. After getting over the last 'challenge' of the previous chapters, I felt a little tired. Real-life also came knocking, so for a time, I decided to let this story stew for a bit. My apologies to those who were patiently waiting. I do want to end Act III at some point. It feels like it's been months!" - A rather oblivious author)**

* * *

It was the calm before the storm. With the plan getting underway, everyone was getting into position. The Guild was notified of what was happening, and many of the scouts and adventurers that were around the Carrier were notified to pull back. Many civilians who were around where they suspect the action to take place were evacuated to other places so they could be safe.

With the area cleared, the party moved stealthily to a building more close to the Basilicom and the Carrier, though keeping some distance to avoid being detected. Noire's group headed for the top floor of what looked to be an office building, while Thomas' group staying at ground level and keeping low.

IF brought out her binoculars, keeping them away from Neptune's grasp, and checked the front of the Carrier. There were several robots littered around the entrance, with a few more coming out of the entrance. IF furrowed her brows, wondering how some of the scouts managed to get through all of that before to even get inside. She knew people like Snake Hayter were good at stealth, but it still puzzled her how it could be accomplished.

She turned her head to the side to see Neptune placing a box over her head. More specifically, a box with a couple of holes for her to see through. IF sweatdropped, recognizing it to be similar to what Snake would roam around in, "Seriously, Nep. What the hell are you doing now?"

"Oh, just getting ready to be extra sneaky!" Neptune responded in her usual carefree tone, "I remembered seeing Noire during some of her free time doing something like this. So, hey, Nep-Nep sees, Nep-Nep does!"

"I can still see the rest of your body," IF noted, as the box were only enough to cover her head, "All that does is make you look more silly than usual."

Neptune pointed a finger in IF's direction, "Ah, naive Iffy! If only you knew the true power of a cardboard box! So powerful that it can shield anyone from enemy AI! Besides, that's what the villain of this story is, right? Ergo, box."

"I like Nep-Nep better without a box on her head," Compa made a simple observation. She always liked seeing Neptune's bright expressions, particularly whenever there's pudding involved. Naturally, she wasn't too thrilled with Neptune hiding her face.

The trio were sitting down behind a small garden at the building's entrance, keeping behind the foliage. Thomas only recently showed up, moving around the corner and sneaking over to join the three. "Made it," Thomas muttered, before blinking over at Neptune, "Uhhh, Neptune, you need a bigger box for that to be effective."

"Really?" Neptune paused, and took the box off of her head, "That's too bad. I was looking forward to being extra sneaky."

Thomas shook his head, "It's alright. Appreciate the effort, though."

"What makes you think those boxes actually work?" IF asked, before looking at Neptune, "Also, why did you trust his advice over mine?"

"Uhhh, well, I did talk about the times I often stumbled over Snake during my days at Lastation," Thomas said with a nervous grin, "I guess Neptune took it as evidence to use a box."

Neptune giggled a bit, putting the box away, "The way you told those times, made it sound like you were awfully clumsy. Do you even look where you go?"

"O-of course I do!" Thomas complained, "It was all Snake's fault anyway. Guy can't sit still for too long." Even I, the narrator, am not really sure Thomas was telling the truth there.

IF sighed, "Whatever. As long as Nep removed that box." She then looked to Thomas, "Good to see you show up. You sure you're good to go? Nothing else I should know about?"

Thomas briefly frowned, before nodding slowly, "Don't worry. I'm ready to do my part."

"Okay," IF turned back to check on the entrance, looking through the binoculars, "The entrance is crowded at the moment. We'll have to wait for the Candidates to show up."

"Did we send them a message telling them we're ready?" Compa asked.

IF grimaced, and put away the binoculars, getting her phone out to send a message to Uni.

"Glad you waited for me before sending a message," Thomas smiled, trying to put a spin on IF forgetting briefly.

"Sh-shut up," IF flustered.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the dark confines of whatever vehicle the Candidates were in, Uni waited patiently in the middle. Everyone was taking this time to relax for a few minutes. While Uni was thinking to herself, Nepgear was looking over some of the controls she could see. Rom sorted through her items in the inventory, expecting to be of use as a support. As for Ram, she got bored, taking out her handhold console to play a bit of Pocket Monstrosities.

Uni then heard her phone go off with the message from IF. Uni peered down to her phone, and quickly shifted in her seat, "Okay! They're in position! Start it up, Nepgear!"

Nepgear nodded, "Got it!" She flipped a few switches, and moved down into her seat, moving away from view. Meanwhile, Ram sighed in frustrated, "Just when it was getting good." She nonetheless turned off her game and shifted her seat close to Uni. Rom, meanwhile, kept at the back, looking at several new monitors and fiddling with a crank.

"Engine's starting up, weapons and displays are good to go," Rom said.

"Hey, I can actually see something!" Ram said as she was staring down a few monitors.

"Same here," Nepgear said from her spot, "Uhhh, how do we get out again?"

"Same way we came in," Uni shrugged, "Whenever you're ready, Nepgear."

"Is that really a good idea?" Nepgear said in trepidation.

"We'll be fine, just go already," Uni stated.

Taking a deep breath, Nepgear tried to relax in her weird seat position, "Okay!" She murmured nervously, fiddling with the controls before finally pushing down her foot on the accelerator.

* * *

Outside the storage facility, a robot jet was flying at low altitude, doing its patrol. It had heard some noise earlier, and paused to scan around with its search light. After a long time scanning, it paused just in front of the lone door where the Candidates entered. All it could spot was the mess around the door.

It then stopped its movement, hearing the sound of some sort of engine revving up. It moved closer to the door, bringing out its weapon to ready. As it leaned close, however, the noise grew in intensity, until something pushed out from the door, piercing through the jet's body.

Pushing was the barrel of a long gun, as the vehicle unveiled itself as a large tank, crashing down the door and causing an even bigger mess. The unfortunate robot was left dangling on the gun, before breaking apart and dropping to the ground in front of the tank treads, the remains getting crushed soon after.

"Eep! I'm sorry!" Nepgear apologized profusely as she drove over the mess.

Uni growled, "Don't apologize for driving over one of those things!"

"S-sorry!" Nepgear apologized for apologizing.

"Just keep driving!" Uni commanded from her spot inside the tank's turret.

"I'll be more careful driving!" Nepgear said as she looked out from her driver's sear in the hull.

"No, be aggressive!" Uni urged Nepgear, "This isn't driving school! Drive over the robots! This thing can handle it!"

Nepgear wasn't sure, as she scrambled to get a grip on her steering. "I'll try!" Nepgear yelled while steering the tank around to get onto the road. The tank struggled to keep straight, and Nepgear was nervous not to drive into anything else. The Guild was wise to evacuate people around the area, after all.

Despite being somewhat confident in her driving skills, Nepgear struggled to keep the tank straight as it went down the road. The CPU Candidate played plenty of driving games in her time, be they driving simulators or the large arcade cabinets in Planeptune. She even played a few tank-related games. Despite this, she knew very well that driving a tank would not be the same thing as in the simulations. Perhaps she was just nervous in general, but it was going to take a while for her to get used to driving this thing.

The tank itself looked like a large main battle tank. Because it's a prototype, however, it doesn't have much polish, shine, or even a little paint. Other that that, the tank seemed to be in perfect working order, even with Nepgear's driving.

"I'm sure we've got their attention now that we took down one of those things," Uni thought aloud, "Nepgear, head for the Carrier. Rom, how's the engine doing?"

"Good!" Rom answered, before asking, "I don't get it, though. How is it running?"

"Oh, a little bit of everything," Uni grinned, "This engine's been developed by our best and brightest. This thing will take a lot of things and recycle it into energy. I filled it with some of my junk items from my inventory earlier. It's clean, efficient, and also helps power up our trusty gun here." She leaned down, pointing at a crank for Rom, "Whenever we need to fire, use that to charge the cannon. You can do that, right?"

Rom nodded, "Can do!"

Meanwhile, as Nepgear was driving the tank, the turret was spinning around, as Ram was apparently swirling it around in place. "Hey Uni!" Ram giggled, "I'm gonna spin this thing until we get to the Carrier. Count how many times before I stop!"

"Please concentrate, Ram," Uni said, "I want you to keep an eye on what's out there."

"Yeah yeah," Ram said dismissively, but complied and stopped spinning the turret, "I was just having a little fun, jeez. Besides, I can report the turret is actually working!"

"R-right," Uni said, turning her focus to the tank's surroundings. Nepgear was still wobbly with the controls, but they were on pace to reaching the Carrier. Soon, she saw the first 'response' from the Carrier, as a few jets flew out of the hangar, and turned around on an intercept course.

"Keep an eye on what's happening ground level," Uni ordered Ram, "I'll deal with these jets myself." She opened the hatch above her, and climbed up a little so her upper body was outside. Forgoing the mounted machine gun, she instead brought out her long-ranged rifle, aiming over at the incoming jets.

"You want bullets? Good, than **eat lead!"** She fired a few admittedly difficult shots, only managing to hit one wing. Uni readjusted herself, and continued with her fire, getting more and more damage as they got closer. Eventually, after downing a couple of the jets, she hopped down and closed the hatch. The remaining jets dove down and fired their energy weapons at the tank.

Inside the tank, there was a bit of shaking, with everyone bracing for damage. The shaking stopped, and Rom checked the monitors, saying, "The damage was small." She pointed at the HP bar on her monitor. There was only minor chip damage, according to the screen.

"Looks like the armor's working," Uni said, "That's a relief."

"You didn't test it out beforehand?" Nepgear exclaimed from her driver's seat.

"O-of course I did!" Uni said, though her tone wavered, "I just wanted to be sure it was working this time."

"This time?" Nepgear said worryingly.

"It's fine!" Uni insisted, before looking to Ram, "Where are those jets now?"

Ram checked the monitors, "They're flying back to the Carrier, but we got another problem."

"I can see it!" Nepgear said, as the group looked ahead to see several robots deployed farther down the road, attempting to cut them off as they raised their guns to fire.

The tank took some damage from the incoming fire, but it was hardly negligible. Still, it shook a little inside, with Ram getting excited, "Hey Rom! We're gonna fire soon, right?"

Rom soon realized, "Oh!" She turned to the crank lever, and used it to begin charging up the cannon inside the turret. As she did so, Ram aimed the gun down at the robots firing. Although she's not the markswoman Uni is, Ram did have a grasp of where to aim for the most splash damage. Casting area-of-effect spells often might have given her some insight on that.

"Ready!" Rom called out.

Ram grinned, pulling the trigger for the cannon to fire its intense energy shot. The tank pulled back at the intense recoil, as the shot rang out and splashed in the middle of the road between a good chunk of robots, who were caught in the ensuing blast. Those not hit by the blast scrambled to reorganize behind where it hit, forming a new line of attack. However, this was a big mistake, as the tank was still moving forward, and Nepgear didn't stop her momentum. The tank drove past, smashing through the robots unfortunate to stand in the way.

"Oh no, not again! I'm sorry!" Nepgear apologized once more for running over some robots.

"Oh for crying out - how many times do I have to say it's okay?" Uni seethed, "They're the bad guys!"

"I hope no one uses is recording this as footage against me driving in the future," Nepgear pouted.

"They're gonna let you drive tanks in Planeptune?" Uni muttered, mainly to herself.

* * *

The commotion a few streets down caught the attention of the party, both on the ground and at the top floor of the office building. The top floor, usually reserved for conference and board room meetings, was where Noire and her team were waiting, keeping an eye on the robots. The lighting was kept to a minimum so they

Uzume, Plutia, and Blanc peered through the windows, finally catching the commotion and seeing the tank rolling through a bunch of robots. There was a bit of confusion, before Uzume pointed down, asking, "Is that the surprise we were expecting?"

Noire had quietly observed what was going on from behind the three, folding her arms and thinking to herself about what she and the others would be doing later. However, as Uzume, Pluta, and Blanc turned their heads back to Noire, the Lastation CPU blinked, returning back to the present. "Oh, r-right, it is," Noire cleared her throat, watching the tank move past a few more groups of robots as it got closer to the Carrier. "I'm surprised Uni and the people running the project have developed it this far."

"I wonder which one of them is driving," Plutia thought loudly to herself as she looked back, "That thing keeps zig-zagging! Kinda dizzy looking at it."

"They'll be fine in there, right?" Uzume asked, with some concern being clearly heard in her tone.

Noire lifted a hand up to scratch a bit of her cheek, eyes still observing the tank, "It should be fine. From what I was updated on, this project was going pretty well. Besides, I am sure Uni and the others can handle it."

* * *

"Looks like the A team made its appearance," Neptune said.

"Aren't these girls a bit young to drive?" Compa asked bluntly, even as she shared the same confused looks as Thomas, IF, and Neptune.

"Should we pull them over?" Thomas said dryly.

"I'm sure they're violating many of Lastation's rules," Neptune mused, "But I'm willing to overlook it if you are."

IF glanced to the others, "Let's refocus here." She gestured towards the Carrier and the entrance, "We should keep an eye over there. See if you can find a closer spot for us to go without being noticed."

The tank had just turned onto the street they were on, stopping and rotating to face its frontal armor towards the Carrier. With the tank being as close to the group without them being spotted, Thomas clasped his hands together, murmuring a couple of words to himself.

"Uh, Tommy?" Neptune asked, "I'm all for praying to me for luck, but-"

"Not now, Neptune," Thomas said quietly, "Trying to give a small boost here."

"Ah, right," Neptune whispered, "Meditate away. Still, nice to know you think of me as a goddess of luck."

Thomas hrmed an affirmative, before going back to his prayer, this time sticking with a more generic meditation. Meanwhile, the other three crouched down, ready to move ahead with their part of the plan.

* * *

Inside the tank, Uni looked at the Carrier, thinking quickly on her next plan of attack. The tank shook a bit as they took some incoming fire from a new group of robots, but the damage was still manageable. She then spoke, "Nepgear, get us right close beside it. We're gonna do a pass and get its attention."

"Right away, huh?" Nepgear said, still trying to get used to the controls, "Alright, I'll do it."

"Good," Uni then hopped down from her seat, and gestured to Ram, "Ram, would you like to trade spots? I could take a few shots with the cannon to get that Carrier's attention, while you can poke outside and pester the robots from the commander's seat."

Ram was quick to move out of her seat, "Sure thing! I'm gonna blast those things with my super awesome magic! That'll certainly get everyone's attention!"

Uni blinked, as she felt a sudden spike in Share Energy while going to sit at the gun controls, "Uh, o-okay, Ram. If it gets too dangerous up there, just close the hatch and rest a while, alright?"

"Relax, Uni," Ram grinned as she got to climbing up towards the hatch, "Just leave it to me!"

"Uh, miss Uni?" Rom interrupted from her spot, "I felt a boost in Share Energy. Is that-"

"I feel it too!" Nepgear exclaimed, "Neptune, Thomas, and the others must be nearby!"

Uni hmmed quietly, before saying, "Let's get going, then! Our job is to distract these robots away from them! Nepgear, floor it!"

"Wh-wh-what?" Nepgear grimaced, before complying, "Understood."

The twins gripped tighter as the tank suddenly accelerated, pushing its engine to push the tank to its top speed, racing past a few of the robots flying overhead, and getting closer to the Carrier. The robots left behind gave chase, allowing for Neptune to motion a location to get closer, and the four started to move from cover to cover as they snuck closer to their target.

 **"Woooooo!'** Ram yelled after popping open the hatch and going up, "Time to serve these guys a hot bowl of smack down soup!" With the boost in power she got from Thomas' prayer, Ram got her staff out, "How about a little fire?" She lifted her staff, pointing up at a group of jets, and cast some large fireballs.

As Ram was raining hellfire on her foes, Uni got to use the turret's co-axial machine gun, turning to fire on any of the hostiles on ground. At least, those that Nepgear wasn't running over. Nepgear had finally suppressed her urge to apologize for running over the bad guys.

The tank finally got close enough to be beside the massive Carrier, as it stood high enough to cast a shadow over the passing tank. Uni finally stopped firing the machine gun, and turned the cannon close to where the giant drill was sticking out. The armor of the Land Carrier was very strong, according to the schematics. Therefore, Uni had to aim somewhere where it could do the most damage. More importantly, though, she needed to entice the robots even further. The bigger the distraction, the better.

Uni aimed the cannon over at one side of the drill, "Rom, I'm getting ready to fire."

"On it!" Rom got to turning the crank, and the cannon audibly whirred, charging its energy.

After giving it enough time, Uni held the aiming as steady as she could, "Ready, aiming... firing!" She pulled the trigger, and the cannon fired a large blast at the drill's side, straight in the middle. What surprised Uni and the others seeing this, was that the Carrier visibly shook from the blast. Although the surrounding armor wasn't affected, the drill took some visible damage.

"Direct hit!" Ram shouted from her spot, as she followed up with a couple of magic blasts of her own. While not as powerful as the cannon, Ram's magic did pick at the new wounds, breaking off some of the metal that was a part of the drill.

"I did not expect that to happen, but I'll take it," Uni was happy with the result. The Land Carrier reacted to these attacks, now loudly stirring, as the drill slowly retracted inside the machine, closing down behind a wall of armor. This was to keep it from getting more damage.

Ram laughed, "Ha! You got shot a few times and already you're turtling? Lame!" A few moments after that, a few of the remaining robots began a barrage at the tank, causing Ram to eep and drop down the hatch, buttoning up.

"I didn't say anything!" Ram tried to cover for herself. You could say she's turt-and Ram gave me an angry face. Fine, I won't say it.

The tank shook some more, as it took more and more damage. The HP bar that Rom was looking over was shrinking down further. It did not help that the Carrier whirred to life, slowly moving forward and turning towards the tank.

"I think we got enough attention now!" Nepgear said in a panicked voice, "Uni, shall I start my way south?"

"Good time to do it, Nepgear," Uni nodded, "Just keep us ahead of the Carrier."

"We're getting hit a lot, though," Rom warned, before saying her current emotion, "Worry..."

"Rom," Uni noticed the HP bar, and thought about something, "Let's experiment here. Rom, can you use your healing spell on the tank?"

"Heal the tank?" Rom asked in confusion, "I mean, I do that when I heal Blanc, but not a **tank** tank!"

Uni looked back to Rom, "We can't be sure until we try. Please, Rom?"

Rom winced, "Uh, okay?" She wasn't sure how to heal a machine, let alone a vehicle. However, as she charged up a heal, she felt that there was something to the armor surrounding the tank. Whatever it was, she focused on its 'wounds' and fired off her heal.

The heal helped boost the HP bar, giving it a fair boost in health. Rom could even feel that some of the armor has actually healed. Rom blinked, "Huh? It worked?"

Uni pondered over this, "Hmm. Interesting. I didn't think that some of the organic material would react like this, but if so -" She suddenly became quiet joyous, "This is great! Rom, keep at it!"

"I didn't think Rom would become a de-facto engineer," Nepgear mused.

"I don't get it, but okay!" Rom smiled, "Charging weapons and healing the tank."

Ram slowly peaked her head out from the hatch. When she noticed the robots have paused in their attacks, she quickly popped up from her hiding spot, and got her staff out to cast several ice spells. The ice spells froze a few of the jets' engines, leading to a couple of crashes.

Much to her surprise, one of the robots pursuing on the ground caught up, hoping on top of the tank. Ram grinned, "Your mistake!" Using her own magic, she brought up her staff, using ice magic for a makeshift ice hammer. Quickly acting, Ram slammed the hammer to the robot's side, knocking it off the tank.

As an added bonus, she then pointed her staff out towards the Carrier, and shot off the ice from her hammer. It did little in the way of damaging the Carrier's armor. Still, with Ram pointing her staff out, she used her other hand to lower one of her eyelids, sticking a tongue out to taunt with an akanbe. "Can't catch me! Are you even trying, you big dummies?" She added words to her insult.

Was it possible to insult hive mind-controlled robots? Regardless of that, it did its job effectively. The Land Carrier, though not quick, was moving slowly behind the tank, as more robots poured out from the hangar and entrance to help recover their losses.

The distraction allowed for Neptune, Thomas, IF and Compa to move closer to the Carrier. With the tank taking up much of their attention, the four got close enough to see enough of the entrance.

"From what I see," Thomas muttered to the others, while they hid around couple of benches, "If we can just get inside, there are small dark pockets on the side we can hide in, at least until our next move."

"Getting there will be tricky," IF admitted, "We have to time it so we can get inside without being immediately spotted."

"I got this," Neptune motioned for everyone to follow her. Though the other three were hesitant, IF, Compa, and Thomas did follow, as Neptune crouched and ran to one side. Neptune had observed the movements of the new robots heading out. The ones from the hangar immediately turned away to give chase to the tank. The ones from the entrance, however, were always exiting to one side of the Carrier. This small difference was enough for Neptune to lead the others to go around to the other side.

Eventually, the three managed to cover just around the corner of the Carrier's entrance as it was moving at a slow pace, with IF now taking point and peering inside. She pulled back immediately on the next set of robots exiting, and waited a moment before checking again. She could now see more of what was inside, and raised a hand to the others, "Now!" She said, and the four finally made their way inside the massive machine.

How will the infiltration go? Will there be any hiccups along the way? Can the CPU Candidates hold off the waves of robots in their tank indefinitely? What organic materials were used in making that armor? Does the tank even have a name? Will Rom think about an engineering career? This and many other questions may, or may not, be answered in the next chapter!


	47. ACT III: Mobile Battery Zone

The battle between the armies of the Land Carrier and the CPU Candidates was well underway. Using a tank prototype that was going to be unveiled at some point, the Candidates had drawn the Carrier to focus on them and concentrate their attacks.

The tank, though taking some damage, was consistently being repaired by Rom's healing thanks to some advanced organic armor plating. At least, that's the conveniently-made reason for why her spells were working. Uni operated the turret's gun and cannon, taking down as many enemies as she could. Ram, meanwhile, was the de-facto commander, being atop the turret. She tossed as many fancy spells and generally taunted the robots to attack her.

All this, while Nepgear was driving the tank, with some difficulty, southwards to the outskirts. This was done to draw them away from much of Lastation, its buildings, and the people trapped inside the barrier.

As a familiar-looking owl, or whatever that thing was that followed the group to Parap Station, perched itself on a far-off building to watch the events unfold, the Carrier was slowly moving towards the tank. Though it took Lastation by surprise via an underground incursion, it was not exactly fast. It only managed to move a few blocks by the time Neptune, Thomas, IF, and Compa got through the entrance. The tank, after all, was a distraction for this group to infiltrate this mobile war factory.

Noire and her group moved along, relocating to another abandoned office building further south. They were laying in wait until they could move to the final part of the plan, where the CPUs would storm the hangar bay and push through to destroy the power source. As many of the robots were dealing with the tank, the group had no trouble moving to the next building.

This gave the group some time to rest up on the top floor. Plutia decided rather quickly to take another nap, curling up under one of the many office desks. Uzume, meanwhile, was trying to keep focus on the mission. She went back to the floor entrance to 'keep an eye out', but in reality needed the space to stretch and warm herself up with some shadow boxing.

This left Noire and Blanc to stand watch at the windows, watching the battle go on. Both were equally wary about their younger sisters fighting it alone, even though the Candidates were quite strong. Still, for Uni's plan to succeed, they had to stand by. It didn't make it any easier to watch, however.

Noire, in particular, gripped her arms tightly while leaning at the window. Although she was trying to keep composed in front of the other CPUs, she was barely able to keep herself grounded. Having to stand by the sidelines for any longer was enough to test her patience.

"If it helps any," Blanc could see how uncomfortable Noire was getting, speaking up, "I also have the urge to fly down there immediately."

Noire blinked, looking over to see Blanc's face stoically starting out the window. After a moment, Noire murmured, "Uh, i-it doesn't help, honestly."

"Oh, that's too bad," Blanc said in a quiet tone, before there was a fairly awkward silence between the two goddesses. When you have two of the least social people in the party, it would be tough to get any conversation going.

Noire's fingers fidgeted briefly, as she watched the battle unfold. The tank was sturdy enough to hold back the waves of robot jets and infantry so far. It was the Land Carrier that was the worrisome problem. Even if it couldn't catch up with the Candidates, it could still do damage running over some nearby property. If only Neptune's group could hurry up with their infiltration, then Noire wouldn't be feeling so tense.

"They'll be fine," Blanc added a few more words to break the silence between the two. Noire looked back with a grimace, to which Blanc closed her eyes. Blanc muttered, "That didn't help either, I take it?"

Noire shook her head, saying, "Not really." She then sighed, "I know the others are capable of handling themselves. I just hate being stuck here on the sidelines. You understand, right?'

"Of course," Blanc said quietly, idly flapping one of her sleeves.

"R-right!" Noire assured herself, looking back outside. "I mean, it's part of what we do, as CPUs. To move in, at times like these. Right?"

Blanc hummed in response.

Noire continued, "It's only natural that I want to rush in there right now. We can do that, right?"

"No," Blanc answered bluntly.

Noire sweatdropped, "You were supposed to agree."

"No," Blanc repeated herself. Noire frowned, and the two had another long pause, eyes still on the battle.

Noire let go of her grip, finally letting her arms drop down to her sides. "They're holding out pretty well, as expected of our sisters," Noire admitted quietly, seeing what she could of the back and forth.

"Yes," Blanc stated, though after a beat, she added, "I could make out Ram on top of the turret, firing spells like crazy. I hope she doesn't overdo that."

"They seem to get that a lot from their sisters," Noire observed quietly. Though her words were quiet, they were still audible to Blanc, who shot a glare at Noire.

"Young people, even CPUs, can be impressionable," Blanc said as she held her chin, "We should work together to set a better example for them. Wouldn't you agree?"

Noire nodded slowly, before she read more into what was said. "Guh..." Noire meekly responded.

"I'm glad we're on the same page," Blanc said with a small smirk. In fairness to Noire, Blanc was also quite skeptical at first about a certain someone in the party. Also, in fairness, Noire didn't smack him with a giant hammer so far. You have that going for you, Lady Noire. Chin up!

After another moment, Blanc asked, "Did you feel that little boost in shares, earlier?"

Noire closed her eyes, with a small nod. Blanc hummed softly, "I see. Interesting. After that display from earlier, I wasn't sure if that resonance of his affected your Share Energy." She shrugged it off.

Noire sighed a little. It wasn't something she knew much about, but she couldn't deny that she didn't feel anything at all. A part of her was relieved that whatever could boost the CPU's powers also could help her. Still, it didn't set her mind at ease. "You must've enjoyed what went on," Noire grumbled.

"Hmm?" Blanc was puzzled by this, and thought about it. "Well, I suppose a part of me did enjoy the two of you chewing each other out," Blanc shrugged a little.

Noire huffed briefly, as Blanc decided to keep quiet to let Noire sort through her own thoughts. Eventually, Noire quietly said, "It's frustrating. Even after..."

Blanc raised an eyebrow at Noire, still holding her tongue and waiting.

Noire glanced over at Blanc's expression, and grimaced, "W-what? It's nothing, really."

Blanc turned away to watch another volley of spells tossed by Ram, as Noire crossed her arms, though not gripping so tightly as before. Eventually, Noire spoke a little more, "How did your first meeting go? With him, I mean?"

Blanc glanced back, "Oh? Well... it went alright. He was with a bunch of other people from Planeptune, discussing trading and other things. It was not really until he frequented the library that we talked more."

Noire took this in, and bowed her head down, not even looking at the battle, "Blanc?"

"Hmm?" Blanc again waited patiently.

"Would you say that it is sometimes difficult to get over your first impressions of someone?" Noire asked, "Even when you want to be nice?"

Blanc paused a moment, as she saw the tank take a couple of hits, as Ram hid inside the turret. After a while, and seeing some healing spell work its magic, Blanc responded, "Sometimes. I managed, though." She glanced back, "You and me, we're both talking to one another, after all."

"Of course," Noire blinked repeatedly. The one person she was opening to was one of her CPU rivals, after all. It's also more than a coincidence that she would open up more to someone like Neptune. Yet another CPU rival. For someone who works a lot for her nation, she sure seemed to cozy up to her rivals more than other people. Noire sweatdropped at my observation, and even slumped her shoulders, defeated.

"Ha," Blanc said dryly, her focus moreso on the battle. She was hoping the Candidates brought enough recovery items this time, as it looked like both Rom and Ram were burning through spells.

Noire straightened up once more, looking moreso at the Carrier, and decided to just say what was on her mind, "Why was it so easy for everyone else to get along with him, huh?" She grumbled, "E-even Uni has some sort of rapport."

No response from Blanc came. Noire continued, "The first meeting we had was just a simple meeting between the two. He, er, Thomas, that man was working quite a bit in Planeptune's ranks. I even heard from Uni herself how he was pushing just as much papers as she was. It was then I found out that he was once from Lastation. I didn't know much about his background then, but even then, all I knew was that he lived here for a while, then just left for Planeptune one day."

"Even earlier, hearing about his early days here, only made me realize," Noire shook her head, "He probably hated it here. It... it was a failure on my part, somehow. Since then, I've had that in the back of my mind. We end up debating something in the first meeting, just like in the last meeting, and it would just deteriorate. We would just get mad at each other." She grumbled, "Maybe I was too harsh in my reign as CPU, back then..."

Blanc snickered, trying not to laugh too much as Noire was blaming herself. Noire's eyes widened and she huffed at Blanc, "This isn't that funny."

"I beg to differ," Blanc countered, with a small chortle, "Oh dear. You both can be such dumbasses, sometimes."

"What are you talking about?" Noire grew more irritated by Blanc's reaction.

"You really think he left Lastation because of you?" Blanc shook her head, "If it was, it was only because you were doing fine." She sighed, "He was deciding on a job at any Basilicom, and took Planeptune because he figured they needed the most help. You're going to say they didn't?"

Noire stopped. She had thought that Thomas had resented her due to her politics, her station, as the CPU running Lastation. A land that she had been running for quite some time. A land that is near and dear to her heart. A land that he left for greener pastures. She had thought that he was simply running from his problems, from his own mistakes. Maybe he did? Still, this revelation was something new for Noire.

"Is this true?" Noire asked Blanc quickly, to which she gave a small nod. Noire paused, feeling a sort of relief, but she was still more shocked than relieved, "Was I really this mistaken?"

Blanc hummed, "I'm sure he is not blameless in the matter, either. It does seem like the both of you have some issues to get through."

Noire sighed once more, looking down at her feet and feeling rather glum. The two remained quiet, as the background noise of Uzume working out and Plutia snoring were becoming more audible in the room.

Their focus went back to the battle.

* * *

 **Party changed: Thomas, Neptune, IF, Compa**

 **From the Chirper archives: Neptune's icon showed up with the message, "The bigger they are, the more treasure chests they probably have inside! Or whatever!"**

* * *

While the battle raged on the outside, we finally peer inside the Land Carrier itself, where our heroes have managed to sneak through the entrance. Lurking in the dark shadows near the entrance, the party waited until they saw a chance to move further inside.

Further inside was a strange assortment of machinery, wires, pipes and platforms. Because the inside was so large, it was hard to make out what was at the other side. Fortunate for the group, the scouts that came back were right in that there were a lot of dark areas to hide in cover. Unfortunately, the lighting was rather terrible overall. IF had to help out Compa by holding onto her hand, as the four moved into one of the dark corners.

Any light that could be seen was generally of a greenish hue, as aside from the robots roaming around, there were many computer monitors. Varying in sizes, these monitors displayed a black screen with a lot of green text. Most of what could be read was garbled, and wouldn't make much sense to anyone not familiar with computer coding.

The four crouched down in the corner, keeping out of sight while seeing around. They could make out an assembly line nearby on the other side of the corridor they were in. There, many arms were putting together robot parts to assemble more robots for the tank to fight. After putting the final touches at the end, the arms would install a few chips at key points to activate the new robot. Immediately, the new bot would move out towards the entrance.

"Looks like they have enough casting and materials to build another army or two," Thomas whispered to his side, looking at IF.

IF frowned as she looked down the line, seeing more and more bots being assembled. "We're going to have to find that terminal first if we plan to shut this down," IF said under her breath.

"Whatever it is must be further down the line," Neptune quietly said, waving a hand in front of the three so they could see her pointing all the mess of metal casts, pipes, and conduits. "The scouts must've went through there."

The conversation stopped briefly, as some robots passed by on their way out. The group waited on guard before the robots were no longer in their line of sight.

IF looked back to the mess near the assembly line, and nodded to Neptune, "That would be the most likely route to go."

Neptune smiled, "Alright. Iffy, you and Compa go and handle the terminal here. Me and Tommy will rush to the one near the drill. We'll contact you when we're ready to pull the double sabotage dealy."

The other three looked perplexed at Neptune taking charge, with Compa asking, "Are you really sure that's a good idea, Nep-Nep?"

"Splitting us up into even smaller groups could be a problem," Thomas said.

"Wasn't part of your old plan to split us into two groups anyway?" Neptune countered.

"Yeah, when I had more than four people in mind," Thomas shot back.

"We need to keep things small for this infiltration," Neptune argued, "And of the four of us, both you and Iffy can handle the terminals, right?"

Thomas hesitated, "Uh, well, we're not sure of that, but-"

"I've had my share of computer mishaps, actually," Compa admitted, "But, Nep-Nep, you're not confident, either?"

Neptune laughed nervously, though still keeping the volume down, "Well, uh, if you really want me to, I could just go on my own, and just wing it once I get there."

IF sweatdropped, and pointed to Thomas, "I guess it's just us. You go with Neptune, then."

"Why do I have to be the one to go to the drill?" Thomas asked nervously.

"You've studied the schematics more than any of us," IF said, "You must have an idea where the other terminal could be."

"Plus, you've got a CPU, no, the main protag to help you out!" Neptune said cheerily.

IF paused a beat, and said, "We also need you to keep an eye on Nep so she doesn't do anything crazy."

"Oh," Thomas said softly, deflated, "You think I could actually reign her in?"

"Uhhh," IF winced, as that was a tall order for anyone, "Just watch her."

"Nep?" Neptune acted offended, "Why do you assume I'm the one that needs to be watched?"

IF and Thomas simply glared at Neptune for a bit, as though their combined staring was enough to provide an answer. Compa, meanwhile, suppressed a giggle, though was clearly amused by Neptune's reaction.

"I see how it is," Neptune pouted.

"If it gets too dangerous, contact us," IF told Thomas as she fiddled with one of her phones.

"Uh, r-r-right," Thomas said meekly, "Same goes vice-versa, okay?"

IF nodded, and got up from her crouch, "Be careful out there. And good luck, you two." She turned to check the corridor, "Let's move, Compa."

"Sure thing, Iffy," Compa said before looking to Neptune, "Please be careful, Nep-Nep!" She briefly smiled at Thomas, before turning to join IF as the two quickly dashed through the open and dove into the mess of metal and electronics to hide in.

Thomas was surprised by how quick their exit was, even being able to avoid being noticed in the open lighting by any of the passing robots. He grimaced, looking back to seeing Neptune leaning over, tilting her head at him. Seeing the trepidation Thomas had, Neptune assured him, "Relax. I'll help ya get through this portion."

Thomas slumped a bit, before Neptune peered in closer, "Hey. I meant what I said when I said I'd protect you. You didn't forget all the way back a few Acts, did you?"

Straightening up quickly, Thomas flustered, "O-of course I didn't."

"Good," Neptune stood back up, "Then let's get going! Uhhh... how far do we go, anyway?"

Thomas sweatdropped, and gestured away from IF and Compa to the other side of the Carrier, "The terminal we're looking for is on the other end, close to where the giant drill is. We're gonna have to get to some of these floating platforms above. How's your climbing?"

Neptune blinked, staring up at some of the indentations in the wall, with a hand held up to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the few bright lights in the Carrier. She hummed softly, "Just a few platforming challenges. No problem. If not, I could always transform and fly."

"Save that for a last resort," Thomas warned quietly, "While the current situation's in our favor, I'm pretty sure a flash of light like a transformation sequence would get their attention. We want to get to those terminals before they know we're here."

Neptune nodded, "Stealth mission with platforming. Got it."

Thomas took a deep breath, and stated as he moved towards the wall, looking for a good place to start climbing, "I'll lead."

"Sure thing, **co** -protag," Neptune said quietly despite the emphasis, "Just leave the baddies to me if things go south, okay?"

Thomas nodded an affirmative, "O-o-okay."

With that, the small group was split in two. Was splitting up a good idea? Well, I personally can't say for certain, but despite Neptune's assurances, Thomas still had that feeling of dread going forward.

* * *

Following some difficulty finding a starting point, Thomas and Neptune started their climb to the first floating platform. In truth, the platforms were attached to the sides of the wall, with a lot of indentations showing that the platforms were used to move things around at some point. The first few that the two moved onto were fairly empty, save for a few of the jets patrolling around, again with avoidable spotlights.

In between some of the platforms on the way to the drill, there were a few poles that were just big enough for the two to hop onto. Thomas struggled a bit, as his jumping was still terrible. As result, Neptune jumped ahead, waiting on the next platform while holding her katana out, just in case.

Once Thomas landed on the next platform to join Neptune, she asked, "Still not much of a jumper, huh? How about some wall-running?"

"What do you take me for, some prince of parkour?" Thomas winced, "Besides, there's enough indents on these walls to latch onto."

"Allllright," Neptune shrugged, "Just offering up ideas to speed this up. My sister's out there risking her neck, you know?"

"R-right," Thomas frowned briefly. He stopped just in time to wait for a patrolling jet to pass by, keeping close to the wall and avoiding the light. Neptune waited until just after the jet passed by to jump over to the next platform. Thankfully for Thomas, this time the next platform wasn't too far off for him.

"Sorry, Tommy," Neptune relented, "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."

Thomas flushed a bit, "I-it's okay, Neptune. I'm a bit worried about Nepgear and the others too."

Neptune turned around to check out that larger platform they hopped on, "Well, least we're in the same boat on that one." She then blinked upon looking further down, "Uhhh, speaking of which. Tommy?"

"Hmm? Oh!" Tommy saw ahead of where Neptune was pointing. Further down the platform, they could see a bunch of cannons lined up across, all pointing forward to where the tank would be presently, if not for the wall in the way.

"These cannons wouldn't be here unless-" Thomas muttered before the two felt the platform shifting under them. Both Thomas and Neptune tried to stay in the shadows, but it was increasingly difficult as the wall started opening up.

* * *

Back at the tank, Nepgear could make out something from where she was sitting, "Uh, Uni? I see something happening from the Carrier. Left side."

"I see it too!" Ram pointed, rather impolitely, from atop the turret. The Carrier opened up a portion of its wall, moving the large platform from earlier to the outside. The cannons was stirring awake and were rotating and aiming right at the tank.

Uni got a good look from where she was, still aiming her weapons at the surrounding enemies, "Crap. This might be it. Rom, how's the Bandicoot's emergency bailout system?" Looks like we have a name for the tank, but onto more pressing issues!

Rom blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Oh, right," Uni cleared her throat, "It's the little indicator below the HP bar. The tiny icon, what color is it?"

"Oh!" Rom spotted the tiny little Bandicoot icon, "It's green!"

"Alright, well, there is that," Uni murmured, "Everyone, we might have to bailout, if those cannons fire anytime soon."

* * *

Although the cannons were unmanned, they were clearly being moved into firing position. Thomas and Neptune were only barely able to hide in a small, dark corner.

Neptune clenched her fists, gripping tightly on her katana with one, "That battery's going to fire! Somehow! Or whatever! We gotta do something!"

Thomas blinked, unsure of what to do here. Darting out to smash the cannons would give them away. It didn't take him long to see something connecting all the cannons, lined up neatly. An electric pipe, allowing for these cannons to charge and fire, just as the Bandicoot's turret had.

"Neptune!" Thomas exclaimed, forgetting to keep his voice down. He then closed his mouth and pointed at the pipe.

"On it!" Neptune slouched down, readying to unleash one of her skills. Thomas' eyes widened, as he observed Neptune unleashing the final part of Critical Edge, where she would dash across in a blink of an eye to slash her enemy. He then realized a problem with this method.

* * *

Several moments later...

Ram was just about to get back down from her spot in the turret, when she saw a sudden flash of light from the Carrier. Instead of the cannons firing, a series of explosions followed. Small at first, but one by one, the cannons on that platform were blown up, catching everyone off-guard. By the end of it, the Candidates could see a smoldering electric fire.

"Did the robots or whoever screw up with firing their cannons?" Ram tilted her head, clearly confused by the display.

Could it be? We've been this far into the story, and both of our supposed **co** -protagonists have gone out in flames? Is this the end of our beloved hero Neptune, Lady Purple Heart? And that other guy too, I guess? Is it really Game Over? Do we have to go back to a save point? Who has the memory installed for this thing, anyway? Well, I'm sure we'll find out how our heroes survived in the next chapter. That's cliffhangers for you.


	48. ACT III: Neptune Blast

**("Phew! I felt that I would hold back on releasing the next chapter until I was completely done with writing Act III. Now that I have, expect the last few chapters to come up soon." - A Sleepy Author Person)**

* * *

We return to where we last off, with a portion of the Land Carrier's wall set ablaze by some explosions, stopping the cannons there from firing on the CPU Candidates. Several of the jet robots, some from inside and some from outside the Carrier, were quickly scanning around the platform for any explanation to why this had happened. Despite their search, they could not find any clues with their search lights.

While the search party continued to look for anything, we move just a few platforms down, closer to the drill. Some of the platforms included a pile of metals and resources stacked in metal bins, presumably for use in creating more robots or in damage repair. Amidst the bins, in a dark alley between two large ones, cramped up near each other, were two figures.

"Just squeeze a little more this way," the voice of one spoke quietly, in some discomfort, "You have your knee still poking my hip there."

"Trying, Neptune," the voice of the other responded, in similar tone, "Your elbow's still poking at my rib."

"I know, hold on," the two squirmed just a bit more before the two could finally break away from each other and have some space inside their hiding spot.

Yes, in case you were one of maybe two people who were shocked by this development, it appeared that both Neptune and Thomas did **not** go out in the blaze. In a quick slideshow of pictures that can only be seen in our imaginations, we can make out that the two have somehow escaped this inferno. However, in the interest of giving some sort of narrative to what happened, allow me to explain the events that transpired.

The cannons were charging up to fire, with the help of an electric pipe that was pointed out by Thomas. Neptune, seeing this, went for a quick slash thanks to her Critical Edge skill. Unfortunately, this would only cause the cannons to lose power. Not a problem in of itself, but a cut wire could lead to some suspicion within the robot hive mind.

Thomas was too late to warn Neptune, though, and the wire was quickly slashed. Now, they were in a race against time. The robots would notice their cannons not firing and come to investigate. It was then that Neptune had an idea.

Neptune had shown herself to some of the stockpile back at the hotel, and took a couple of explosives. Before Thomas could react, Neptune had moved onto this new plan, attaching several devices to the broken cannons, and set a timer on them to explode shortly.

With the new plan underway, Thomas and Neptune bailed quickly, rushing away from the ensuing explosions. Neptune was also quick enough to find this area to squeeze the both of them inside.

While Thomas could thank Neptune's luck for stumbling here on short notice, this was not what he anticipated. Since he no longer had Neptune elbowing him in the ribs, he could take the time to catch his breath.

"At least with the explosion, the robots will be more busy with repairs," Neptune quietly mused.

Thomas grimaced, saying, "They'll figure something was definitely up. We do not have a lot of time left."

"Easy there," Neptune said as she waved a hand, trying to urge calm, "It's true that we've brought on the yellow alert status, but we still have time to do what we came here for. For now, though, we lay low here."

"Are you so sure about th-" Thomas noticed something out of the space they were in, and immediately straightened up along the bin. Neptune went silent, turning her head to see another robot walking by the area as it was on its way to the fire. She quickly held herself along her side, and carefully eyed its movements.

The robot stopped nearby to pick up some of the nearby materials, apparently to patch a few things, before stopping its movement. It swiveled its body around, as its camera-like eye darted about. At one point, it even looked between the bins where the two were hiding in. Using the sides and darkness as cover, the two were thankfully unseen by the robot, who soon turned its attention away, leaving with materials in tow.

Thomas waited for his heart to sink back down from his throat, as Neptune peeked out briefly, before hiding back. "Take a breather, Tommy," Neptune said quietly, "I need you to stay calm and focused for the next stretch. Just hold it together a little longer, okay?"

"Easier said than done," Thomas muttered, before he jumped a bit. Feeling a vibration, he checked to see that someone was calling him on his phone.

Neptune blinked at this, "Uhh, a little odd to be calling now. Tell them whatever it is, we're not interested. Too busy saving Lastation."

"It's IF calling," Thomas said, reading the display, "Probably wondering what the hell just happened." He offered the phone to Neptune, "You take this."

"Nep?" Neptune was puzzled, "She's calling on your phone, though."

"That explosion was all you," Thomas said, "You explain what happened."

"You pointed out what was happening," Neptune countered, "I just provided the help. You take the call."

"No, you're the leader, you take it," Thomas insisted, pushing the phone to her, even as she pushed back.

"As your leader, I delegate you to take it," Neptune said.

"You take it," Thomas ordered, but Neptune wouldn't oblige.

"No you." "You." "You." "Nah." "No u." "U." The two would keep at it for a while. After the silly back and forth and pushing the phone between the two of them, Thomas finally relented, if just to avoid their argument being heard by any nearby robots.

"H-hello?" Thomas answered the phone, feeling uneasy.

"Thomas, are you okay? Is Nep with you?" IF's voice could be heard clearly, though the volume was kept down.

* * *

Briefly, we checked on IF and Compa, who have parked themselves in a cozy spot among the mess of materials near the assembly line. They seem to have found the terminal, located at the start of the line in the middle of the Carrier. The terminal was pretty large, looking like an old arcade cabinet with a keyboard attached to the front.

Both IF and Compa were laying down, trying to stay hidden, as they could see several jets overhead flying off in a hurry. Meanwhile, assembly of new robots continued, with arms turning to grab more material.

IF looked extremely concerned, as she waited for an answer. Both she and Compa shot a glance of worry between each other. Compa then held her hands together, silently praying that both were okay.

* * *

Back to the others, Thomas answered, "Oh! Yeah, both of us are alright. Neptune's right here, too. Say hello, Neptune." He held the phone out for her to speak.

After a beat, Neptune perkily spoke, "'sup?"

Thomas smiled weakly, and took back the phone, "So yes, everything is fine! All fine here. Couldn't be better, eheh... uh, are you two alright?"

"We're fine," IF said, before sighing some relief, "Good. It's good to hear you are both okay. Just, please, tell us what the hell just happened. We keep seeing jets flying off where you guys went, and I had a text from Lady Blanc asking what's gone on. What did you two do up there?"

Thomas glanced up, seeing a few bots flying above and heading towards the fire, "R-right. Um, well you see-"

"Actually, I need to hear Nep explain this quickly," IF interrupted. Thomas blinked and brought the phone back to Neptune.

Neptune sweatdropped, as though she knew this was coming, "Oh! Okay, well you see, yaddi yaddi yadda, this and that-"

"Blah blah blah, yackity smackity, huh?" IF said. Thomas was briefly confused by what transpired there, before IF continued, sounding more irritated, "You blew up the cannons? That wasn't what we came here for!"

"I know, Iffy, but we had to do something!" Neptune said over the phone, "They were going to fire right at the tank and-"

"Nep," IF cut her off, "I understand that. It's just that you knew that Nepgear and the others were there as a distraction, right? As in, get attention away from us? We're not supposed to be doing the distractions!"

"You know, you easily sound like a villain here in hindsight," Neptune noted, "Saying that we should let them shoot my dear sister!"

"Can it, Nep," IF grumbled, "Just... whatever, just don't make any more distractions. As for us, we're already at the terminal. Waiting on you guys."

Thomas took back the phone to speak, "When we get there, I'll call back. Just sit tight."

"Okay," IF said, "Please be careful."

Thomas paused, before answering, "Y-yeah, we will. Talk to you later." He quickly hung up, and stared at Neptune.

"What?" Neptune asked while Thomas narrowed his eyes at her.

"Yaddi yaddi yadda?" Thomas asked.

"It was very tense, that yaddi yaddi yadda," Neptune said with an overacted shiver, "I never was good with the dramatic exposition. Thought you could try it out, but Iffy said otherwise." She quietly sighed, "Now we have more time to kill until the robots lose interest and look back at the tank outside."

"I'm surprised that IF even understood that," Thomas said out his thought on what just happened.

"Oh, well, me and Iffy have this connection, you see," Neptune explained as though this were natural, "Being best friends also helps!"

Thomas sweatdropped, "I don't think that's how friendships work."

Meanwhile, back at the others, IF shook her head, "I'm starting to regret leaving those two alone."

Compa tilted her head, shifting a little as she laid beside some armored plates, "Nep-nep was always a little difficult to contain."

"I wonder..." IF pondered aloud, before a robot arm reached out to grab one of the plates right beside Compa. Compa held back on yelling, but nonetheless was scared by the claw's appearance. Thankfully, the arm went back to work on the assembly afterwards.

"I-I think I am going to find a new hiding spot," Compa muttered, slowly slinking away from where she hid.

IF nodded slowly, before muttering to herself, "Please be careful, you two."

Back to Neptune, who smirked at Thomas, "Oh really? I don't recall you being the expert on friendships."

"Regardless," Thomas didn't want to change the topic, "That was still a crazy thing to do, Neptune."

"Oh?" Neptune raised both her eyebrows at this, "Because I had the feeling, you would've done the same thing in my shoes. You wanted those cannons stopped too. Isn't that right?"

Thomas flinched, and turned his head to avoid eye contact. Neptune closed her eyes and beamed her smile.

"But really," Neptune went back, idly tapping a finger on one of her cheeks, "I thought you were trying to become great at making friends, trying to outdo yours truly. It was going so well with Iffy, Compa, Uzume, Plutie, Blanc-"

"I wasn't competing," Thomas looked quizzically at Neptune, "I was just trying to be friendly. Besides, it's clear you're better at this friendship thing than I am, if you can have weird exposition powers like that with IF."

Neptune hummed, as she kept an eye outside their spot, waiting for when was a good time to move out. Seeing as there were still some jets scrambling around overhead, she decided on waiting a little more.

Neptune glanced down, sighing, "Hah, I'm kinda disappointed, really. I was curious to see how you would do. You were doing pretty well, riiiight until recently."

Thomas slumped a little, not really wanting to say anything to that. Neptune leaned down a bit to meet with Thomas' eye level, even as Thomas was reluctant to meet with that.

"A real shame too," Neptune continued, "I was looking forward to seeing you patch things up with Nowaru." She winced, "And then the meeting happened."

"And then the meeting happened," Thomas repeated in a low volume.

"Yyyyep," Neptune said as she tapped her cheek, in thought, "Just when I thought you two would get along and Noire would finally have a person to call her friend. Even if that friend was some handsome loser."

"Gee, thanks," Thomas deadpanned his response.

"I'm only kidding there," Neptune said sheepishly, "But anyway, a real shame too. Noire was even trying to offer a plan where she would keep you away from the danger." She did a relatively poor Noire impression, given that she was still trying to keep from being too loud, "It's not like I'm worried about others getting hurt or anything!" She returned to her usual pitch, "She did say that, even though it clearly was on her mind the entire time. Sheesh, so typical of the tsundere queen."

"Oh come now," Thomas shook his head in disbelief, "Tsunderes are just a thing in manga and literature. You're expecting me to believe she totally acts like that. I would've picked up on that."

"Is that so, Mr. Tone-deaf?" Neptune shot back, recalling the revelation of Thomas struggling to note the dramatic change in Uzume's tone whenever she acted more cutesy ala Orange Heart. "I dunno," Neptune said with a disapproving shake of the head, "But I know Noire long enough. Total tsundere."

"Nono, that can't be true, that's-" Thomas stopped as he turned to see a look on Neptune's face. While he was expecting some sort of teasing expression, Neptune's face was... its usual self. Thomas blinked a few times, unsure of whether Neptune was actually serious or pulling some trick on him.

"Are you serious?" Thomas frowned, staring at the goddess' face, trying to figure out if Neptune was telling the truth here. Before, Thomas figured something was a bit weird. He dismissed such a thing about Noire's personality, writing it off as some sort of joke Neptune and the others would make. After all, a workaholic that had some trouble expressing herself honestly? That was a bit too on-the-nose. I mean, no one's like that at all, huh Tommy?

No, there had to be more to it than that, Thomas was probably thinking, as Neptune became more aware of the staring. She leaned back a bit to get some distance, "Gee, what's with the stare? I am not telling a lie here."

After a moment to think about all of that, Thomas felt very much deflated, as he quickly slapped his forehead, staying in a facepalm.

"And once again, our dense protagonist finds out he might be a little dense," Neptune teased.

"Damnit," Thomas cursed himself, "I know I wasn't supposed to take some literary tropes, er, literally. But..."

"You're also not supposed to judge a book by its coverings or whatever," Neptune almost messed up the quote, but it was close enough, referring to Noire's personality not being as frigid as Thomas had initially thought.

Thomas grumbled, lifting his head and removing the facepalm, "This explains quite a bit, about Lady Noire, I mean."

Neptune patted Thomas on the shoulder, "Well, your eyes have opened a little. That's the main thing. Maybe the next time you two chat, you won't be yelling at each other by the end?"

"I can only hope," Thomas was still not too certain he and Noire could smooth things over after the last blow-up.

Neptune glanced out once more, and saw that things have slowed down everywhere else outside of the fire, "I think we are good to go right now. Chin up, Tommy. You ready for this next stretch?" She let go of Thomas' shoulder, and inched away so she can get ready to move.

Thomas took a deep breath, and turned to check outside as well, "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

Neptune and Thomas finally made their way closer to the massive drill at the far end. While some robots were busy repairing the damage at the top, there were a multitude of platforms surrounding the drill, held up by large pillars. Unlike the platforms like the ones holding the cannons, however, these ones were a little more flimsy, barely being held up by whatever was attached to the pillars.

There were no jets patrolling at the time, so the two hopped onto the first filmsy platform. Landing, they both made a noise on the sheet metal surface, and stopped immediately, trying not to make any more steps. They turned their heads over to the top of the massive drill, and saw one of the robots pausing in its repairs. Soon after, though, it returned to its duty.

"We don't want to make too much noise on these platforms," Thomas muttered, "Tread carefully."

"We jump once at a time, too," Neptune added, as she took a slow step forward, "Gotta take this nice and easy."

"Right," Thomas said, before biting his tongue a little. He was hoping that he would be more confident, near the end here. He could feel his heart beating a little more quickly.

"Relax, Tommy," Neptune said in a quiet aside, "We're almost there. Just take slow, deep breaths."

"A-a-alright," Thomas complied, as Neptune was herself trying to focus. It seemed she was saying this to not only calm Thomas down, but herself.

The two made some progress, jumping from platform to platform, as they got closer to the one platform that was more secured. It was located on the other side of the drill, set right in the center. Held up by several pillars, the platform had several large monitors set up, each with similar black screens with green text. However, it was the terminal right in the center that was the main target. Similar to the one IF and Compa were waiting near, this terminal had a keyboard ready for access.

On the platform close to the terminal, Thomas exclaimed quietly, "There it is!" He was ready to immediately rush for the next leap, when he paused to look at Neptune, who was not looking at the terminal, "Nep...tune?"

She was looking around elsewhere, keeping an eye on the robots at the top of the drill, as well as glancing around the place for anything coming near. Finally, she spoke, "Tommy, you go to that terminal and call Iffy. I'll keep an eye out."

"Right!" Thomas nodded, not thinking much about it as he quickly turned to make another leap. While he was not getting much height, he did have enough of a jump to make it to the final platform.

Relieved he was on a more sturdy platform, Thomas rushed to the terminal, looking over the keyboard controls and the large monitor. "Okay, we're in business," Thomas said to himself as he took his phone out to dial up IF. Hopefully she didn't have a ringtone for Thomas calling.

* * *

Back where IF and Compa were, IF's eyes grew as her phone shook. She looked at the display, then just as quickly answered, "Thomas?"

"I'm in," Thomas' voice cracked over the speaker, "You ready to do this?"

"About time," IF replied, as she moved up from her hiding spot, glancing around to make sure no robots were about, and made it to the terminal, "How's your computer skills, by the way?"

"A little rusty," Thomas said, "Then again, these things look pretty old. Text-only system. Thankfully, it's not in some weird, unknown language."

IF hummed, as she held the phone with one hand while using the other on the keyboard. She looked over the text and functions displayed, "That's good. Although, yeah, looks pretty basic as far as operations go. No real security here. For something to combat viruses, this doesn't have a lot of safety features here."

"Well, that's too bad for it," Thomas mused, "Let's see what we can do with this much access."

Compa moved closer to IF, though still trying to find a hiding spot. She squeezed in between two metal sections, before getting comfortable, and checking on her weapon.

IF tapped on the bulky keys on the keyboard, as she navigated through the straight-forward functions on the system. IF spoke, "A lot of what I can see to start are just reading functions. Which systems are operating, at what capacity. Pretty dry stats. Nothing to mess with yet."

"Same here," Thomas admitted, "I can't seem to find anything too remarkable." The phone cut out briefly for IF, as Thomas was moving something on his end. It then came back, with Thomas saying, "Hold on. I just hit one of the function keys at the top. It took me to a different menu. Could you try it out?"

"Yeah, sure," IF tested each key, before seeing the screen shift to different menu options, "Got it. Huh... looks like a power distribution system."

* * *

Back to Thomas, who was trying to move the phone to a comfortable holding position while checking the keyboard. Meanwhile, Neptune looked over at the man scrambling on the computer, curious as to what he found.

"We might be able to do something here," Thomas remarked, looking through the list of systems powered through this menu, "A lot of the power generated by this thing goes through several lines. From there, they are distributed to whatever needs work."

"I see it," IF said over the phone, "A lot of output on weapons, engines... even the assembly robots have some power. Nothing on the repair work or the active robots outside, though."

"Those things have their own power source, I doubt there's anything on that," Thomas muttered, before he thought of something. "IF," he tapped the screen, making note of the lines, "can you reroute power from some of the systems?"

"Let me check," IF responded, as both she and Thomas were checking what they could do with rerouting. After some experimenting, IF called back, "I can only reroute a few systems, but it's what we need to stop. I can affect the output of the assembly if I can just stop it long enough."

Thomas nodded, "I got engines and drill operation here. Thing is, we might be able to stop it for a while, but it wouldn't take long for some bot or program to fix that."

"Unless," IF had her brain working on the puzzle, "we could reroute the power from both our ends through one of these lines. If we can pour it all into the first line, we can overload it."

"We can cut off power for a good amount of time," Thomas smiled, "Just what we need. Good thinking there, IF."

"I'm sure you would've thought of it sooner, too," IF said happily, "But thanks for the praise, all the same. Perhaps in another life, I was a very smart computer genius and mechanic. Probably would give Nepgear a run for her money!"

"Let's focus on the present," Thomas said to interrupt IF's imagination, "Shall we cause some havoc?"

"Uh," IF caught herself, and spoke, "Of course! I'd like to get out of here sooner rather than later."

Thomas tapped rapidly on the keyboard, as he rerouted as much power as he could to any system, so long as it was going through the one lane. He could also see other systems having their power rerouted, as IF was working on her end.

The lighting inside the Carrier dimmed a little, before suddenly shorting out. The sound of the engines sputtered and eventually went silent. The assembly robot arms, controlled directly by the Carrier's power, stopped their movement. The only activity with the Carrier's first floor were the separate robots moving about.

The Land Carrier was effectively disabled, for the time being.

"Anyone got a nightlight?" Neptune mused while in the dark.

* * *

Outside of the Land Carrier, the Bandicoot tank stopped just short of the firewall barrier, turning its frontal armor towards the Carrier. At the time IF and Thomas did their thing, the Carrier's engine started to sputter, and it slowly went to a halt.

Ram had been turtling, I mean huddling up inside the turret while Uni was firing on most of the robots giving chase. However, with the Carrier stopping, Rom spoke from her seat, looking at the monitors, "Did something happen again?"

"Neptune?" Nepgear wondered aloud.

"It might be," Uni answered her, as she looked at her phone, "I don't see anything from them yet." She slowly aimed the tank's gun towards the previously damaged side, where the cannons were, "Time to send a signal. Rom, charge up the cannon."

With that, Rom charged up the cannon, and Uni fired.

* * *

The Land Carrier shook as the Bandicoot's fire hit the exposed wall. As this was happening, a siren, similar to what was heard in the Lastation Subway, echoed in the background. Backup emergency power kicked in, with dim, red-tinted lighting taking over for the green lighting. The robots at the top of the drill immediately stopped their repairs, scrambling to adjust to the new developments.

With so much shaking from the blast, both Thomas and Neptune desperately tried to hold themselves up. Thomas wrapped his arms around the terminal, while Neptune braced herself on the platform. Unfortunately for Neptune, she was on one of the rather flimsy platforms. Unlike the other platforms, the flimsy platforms rocked considerably, with one of them in the far-off distance actually dislodging and falling off.

While Neptune's platform did not fall over, she could not stay up, slipping off her feet. Landing on her rear, Neptune made a mistake, reacting with an audible "Owie!" As soon as she said it, she clasped her hand over her mouth and looked up to where the closest group of robots were. There was a bit of worry, as some of the robots closest pause, slowly scanning around.

Thomas, hearing Neptune earlier, quickly turned his head to look to her. After the shaking had subsided, Thomas rebalanced himself and waved at the fallen Neptune. Seeing the concern on Thomas' face, Neptune responded with a brief thumbs up, mouthing "I am fine." She smiled, and slowly made it back to her feet. Her eyes, however, kept looking up.

Thomas nodded, and checked the terminal. Despite the power outage, the terminals were still active, but were now showing the chaos of whatever was controlling the Carrier to repair the damage. Thomas then spoke into the phone, "IF? Are you still there?"

There was a quiet pause, as Neptune watched one of the robots start to descend. While she pondered what action to take, Thomas was still checking on the phone. IF's voice finally spoke out, "Uh, yeah, we're both alright. Can't say the same for our host. What about you two?"

"Good," Thomas answered, "We're done here, then. IF, notify the other groups of our progress. After that, take Compa and get out of here as fast as possible."

* * *

By now, both IF and Compa were standing by the terminal they were at. The assembly line was currently down, and many robots were scrambling overhead.

IF frowned, "We're doing that, but what about you guys?"

"We'll catch up with you, don't worry about that," Thomas replied with certainty, "I have no intention of staying here with the ship. See you outside."

With that, he hung up, leaving IF a little concerned. All the same, she went to send texts to both Blanc and Uni stating they were done.

Compa was sharing some of that concern, "We really should go and help get Nep-Nep out."

"You heard what he said, though," IF stated, "We better not stay here any longer than needed."

"O-okay," Compa winced. However, before they could turn and make their quick getaway, they were soon spotted by one of the robot's search lights.

"Crap," IF squinted, trying to adjust her eyes, "Guess we can't just get away quietly."

In response, one of the last few robots assembled returned from the entrance to intercept the two. It was a big, bulky one, initially meant to pummel the tank that was shooting at them from a distance. However, its target had changed to the newly-found intruders. Jogging on its long legs, it raised one of its arms overhead for a chop with its mace-like weapon. Both IF and Compa dodged away from the large mace, which crashed down just near the terminal.

Compa dove behind some of the materials, while IF pulled out her katars, standing on the assembly line. Even as the whole place was shaking, IF stood confident, pointing at the machine with one of her blades outstretched, "Finally noticed us, huh? Okay, bring it on!"

IF's taunt was enough to draw the robot to focus on her instead. The robot swiveled, turning its mace to take a sideline swing at IF. IF dove and slid just under the swing, which nonetheless smashed through some of the disabled robot arms. IF had to do a bit more dodging as some of the debris toppled down towards her.

This didn't stop the robot's momentum, as it turned to take another swipe down at IF. IF was once more quick enough to dodge it; however, something happened that kept her from moving further, as the mace managed to snag the tip of her coat.

IF was held back, and she pulled on her coat. The robot held down his mace, and turned to try and grab the Guild agent with its other hand.

"Iffy!" Compa called out, leaping from her hiding spot and slashing her needle at the grabbing arm. The force of Compa's sudden attack forced the arm back, allowing Compa an extra action. With time to act, Compa turned her needle to point at the other robot arm, shooting the bubbly green liquid that was stored inside. The liquid sprayed over one of the arm's joints, sizzling and burning through it. The robot fell back as its arm was severed, leaving it open for Compa to go another assault, slashing with her needle.

IF's eyes widened, carefully moving away from the severed robot arm to avoid whatever Compa used on it. Once back on her feet, she leapt over to assist Compa's attack, with the two finishing off the robot.

Compa exhaled a deep breath, "That was a bit of a workout. Are you alright, Iffy?"

"I-I am fine, thanks to you back there," IF answered with a small blush, "Though I have to ask what was that you just attacked with?"

"Oh, just some acid I had stored for just an emergency," Compa said happily, "Grandma always told me that it was important to have some in your inventory in case you're dealing with crazy robots."

IF laughed weakly, "Aha, give your grandmother my thanks. In any case, let's get out of here while we can. Don't know how long before more baddies will show up."

Compa frowned a little, "Mmm, okay. I really don't like leaving those two behind, though. We should all flee together-"

"I know you're saying what he said back then," IF was reminded of when they were fleeing in the Subway, "But we've gotta believe."

Compa nodded, muttering, "I gotta believe." She repeated this in her mind as the two resumed their retreat.

Will that belief be enough?


	49. ACT III: Save Lastation From Disaster

Uni raised a fist after the last shot. She was pleased with the damage she was inflicting, even if it wouldn't finish off the Land Carrier. Before she could get ready for another shot, however, she noticed her phone going off. She paused and looked down to check quickly, before realizing the text had come from IF. Reading it, she grinned and boasted to the others, "Neptune and the others did it!"

"They did?" Rom asked in surprise, before checking the monitors once more. After a pause, she noted, "It stopped moving!"

"Their engines and assembly line are down," Uni said, "It's a matter of time before Noire's group finish it off."

"So what do we do now?" Ram asked from her spot, still keeping the turret's hatch closed.

"Keep at it," Uni went back to using the cannon, "Finishing off the remaining robots and keeping them away from the others is still a priority."

"Makes sense," Nepgear added, "We need to make sure the other teams get out safely."

The tank was getting ready to for its next round. However, even though the Carrier lost a lot of power, it still had some systems active. While one side of the Carrier was dealing with damage to their cannons, the other side was still undamaged.

That side opened up parts of its armor, as the cannons there began to charge up. Although it was slower, they were not stopped like time by Neptune and Thomas.

Uni realized that her tank wasn't going to be ready to fire again by the time these guns fired. "Uh, girls? I think this might be it..."

* * *

Uzume and Plutia returned back to check on the battle, as Plutia was rested up, and Uzume was feeling left out. Returning, they moved in between Noire and Blanc overlooking the battle, just in time to see the Land Carrier's other cannons fire upon the Bandicoot. The massive barrage set off multiple explosions surrounding, and finally engulfing, the tank.

"The juniors!" Uzume called out. Plutia jumped and held her hands over her mouth.

Blanc, meanwhile, also lost her cool, "My sisters!" Her eyes were about to turn red, when Noire waved her hand to get the others' attention.

"Hold a moment," Noire said calmly, although the back of her mind was clearly wrought with fret.

All four stood quiet, watching the explosion dissipate. The smoke wasn't done clearing before four beings shot up into the skies, briefly shining before revealing themselves to be the Candidates, transforming into their CPU forms.

Noire let out a sigh of relief, "Uni's gambled quite a lot on that bailout system working. Not sure how this will work for non-CPUs, though."

"You weren't sure it was going to work?" Uzume asked incredulously.

"Don't look at me, it wasn't a project I actively worked on," Noire winced, "I just knew Uni wouldn't let that be the end. My sister's stronger than that."

"It is good I do not have high blood pressure," Plutia said, putting her hands down closer to her chest, "That was kind of scary."

Blanc relaxed a little before she checked her phone, seeing a new message being sent by IF. While she was reading, she murmured, "I agree, Plutia..."

Plutia nodded, finally dropping her arms, "Uh huh. Good thing those girls are really strong, hehe."

"Noire?" Blanc spoke up, "We got the message from IF. Their mission's complete. We're up."

"Alright!" Uzume clapped her fist, "I've been itching to take that thing down since we got here."

Noire hummed quietly, than nodded, "Let's go! I've been staring at that thing long enough!"

* * *

The bailout system allowed the Candidates to eject up into the skies out of the tank just as it was destroyed. Transformed, the Candidates flew into the open skies surrounding the Land Carrier. Nepgear and Uni shot out quickly, drawing their weapons and engaging the robot jets. Nepgear charged against them with her gunblade, while Uni began some precision attacks on a few ground targets. The two would be the vanguard, keeping the robots away from the Lowee twins.

White Sisters Rom and Ram took a moment to survey what was happening. Once they figured Nepgear and Uni were providing cover, they turned their focus to the Carrier's cannons, which have yet to aim since their attack on the tank.

Ram pointed to the middle of the battery, "Right there, Rom! Let's take those out!"

"Alright! Let's do this, together!" Rom got fired up, and helped out Ram by offering her power. With that, Ram charged up a baseball swing, before launching a massive ball of fire to rain down and explode right in the center of the cannons. The Carrier shook from the big explosion that devastated the cannons, leaving a smoldering fire similar to what happened on the Carrier's other side. However, the Carrier's armor still held up.

"Yeah!" The twins congratulated each other with a high five, proud of their accomplishment. Their elation was short-lived. Many of the robots that were patrolling outside of the battle returned back to the Carrier, and starting firing on the Candidates.

Rom eeped, and she and Ram split, trying to avoid the gunfire. Nepgear and Uni pulled back, trying as hard as they could keep the robots away, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

The robots decided to add some strategy with the remaining robots they had under their command. There were a few sniper robots, similar to what the CPUs faced at the Plains, although they looked weaker than the one they faced. Pulling back to a far away distance, one of the sniper bots was trying to lock on a target. Focusing on Uni, it tried a couple of shots, surprising Black Sister as it dinged off her large rifle.

Uni freaked out a little, in part because the robot was damaging her weapon. The next shot barely zipped past her cheek, and she gritted her teeth, turning to focus on the sniper bot. However, as she did, a wall of jets would zoom in front, trying to block her aim. Uni growled and tried to find a better shot, but they kept moving out in front, firing their own shots. This, in addition to some of the ground robots ordered to fire back at Uni, made it difficult for her to get any good shot.

Uni was becoming overwhelmed, and the other Candidates were feeling similar pressure as the robots coordinated their attacks. Just as they look to be cornered, the Candidates received new relief.

From all around the Carrier, sporadic rifle fire pelted the sniper robots from different areas. It wasn't particularly strong, but it was enough to throw off the robots' strategy. This created some new openings for Uni to finally refocus and take out the more dangerous sniper bots.

"Wh-who's out there?" Nepgear asked herself, as she squinted in the distance to see a few people at the rooftops with their own guns. One was hiding within a box, somehow aiming his gun through a small opening. Another looked to be a man in full police armor. There were different people, and even a few monsters, that took up arms at this moment to fire upon the robots. Nepgear made note specifically of one other. A familiar looking black-haired woman clad in red hunched down behind some cover, expertly firing her weapons just as well as Uni.

"Looks like the Guild chose its moment to get involved," Uni said aloud, "No... this is Lastation coming together. I'm sure of it."

"In that case, let's help them out!" Nepgear called out, "Keep taking these robots down! Don't let them hurt the citizens!"

With that set, the Candidates pushed closer to the Land Carrier, harassing the robots and making sure the focus was still on them.

This as Noire's group was flying towards the Carrier...

* * *

Returning back to the Carrier, Thomas hung up the phone as Neptune watched one of the robots coming down. Seeing that the robot was slowly looking towards the terminal, Neptune quickly checked her inventory for something, anything, to distract it away from Thomas.

Frustrated, Neptune found a stone that she stored from a long time ago. Was it a Key Item? Was it to be used in some old quest back in the Ultradimension? At this point, it wasn't important. She brought it out of her inventory and pitched it right at the machine.

"Ooh," Neptune said audibly, getting the robot's attention, "That looked like it stung. Maybe you should walk that off?" The robot brought out its gun and fired a few shots. They were easy to dodge for the CPU, who added, "N-no? Gonna rush the mound, huh? Such poor sportsmanship!"

"N-Neptune?" Thomas muttered in his quiet voice, "What are you doing?" He just looked up from finishing his call and dealing with the terminal to see Neptune taunting the robot.

"Oh, just keeping some enemies away from someone, or something!" Neptune spoke out loud. She wasn't looking directly at Thomas, as she was trying to keep busy drawing the robot away, but her words were understood. Thomas cowered by the terminal as the robot continued to fire at Neptune.

The robot was slowly descending, when the Carrier shook once more, as Rom and Ram dealt with the cannons. Inside the Carrier, the platforms once more shook, and Thomas clung hard to anything to keep him up. Unfortunately for Neptune, her platform tilted down suddenly, tripping her up and making her stumble off the edge, "Wah!"

Thomas' eyes bulged as he peered over to see Neptune managing to grab the edge of the platform, which was still relatively stable. Hanging with one hand on the edge, Neptune looked up to see the robot still coming down. As the bot was turning towards the terminal, Neptune acted, waving her hand up at the robot, "Hey buddy, still hanging here."

Thomas shook his head, mouthing quietly, "Neptune, no!"

Neptune saw what his lips were saying, but she still shared a bright smile, trying to assure him, even as she was in a bit of trouble.

The robot continued downwards, unable to fire at Neptune from where it was but switched to a bladed weapon. It was ready to strike, as Neptune couldn't get back up on the platform. She pondered dropping down, as she was not really scared of falling, if anything. She also had a backup plan in mind. However, the thing she wanted to do was keep its attention away from Thomas.

The robot was just nearing the platform, and Thomas hid for a while. However, with the robot being between him and the platform, Thomas couldn't take it anymore.

 **"Neptune!"**

The goddess blinked, looking over at where Thomas was hiding. He was reaching for his sabre, but before she, or the robot, could react, Thomas quickly vanished from the platform. The robot swiveled quickly to where it heard that voice, but saw nothing. Instead, a moment later, a loud sound echoed near the machine, along with an explosion of air in a cone-like shape.

It looked more like a sonic boom happened just by the robot, with a blade slicing through one of the robot's center. Although the strength alone wasn't enough to down the robot, the sudden quickness of the attack knocked the robot back, falling into the giant drill it was repairing earlier, breaking into pieces.

Neptune blinked, and saw that both Thomas and the robot were no longer there. It was a moment that happened so quickly that even she was having trouble processing it. She looked around the platform Thomas was on, than at where the robot crashed, but saw nothing else.

"I'm right here!" Thomas' voice surprised her as she saw Thomas on the platform she's still hanging on to. He moved over to the edge, on his knees, "Need some help up?"

"Huh?" Neptune grew puzzled, before saying, "S-s-sure. Up I go!"

Thomas held out a hand, allowing Neptune to be pulled back up to the platform. With that task done, Thomas phewed, feeling a little tired as he sat down to take a breather.

Neptune was still confused by what happened, and was about to ask, when the both of them felt the platform continue to give way. "Oh, right," Neptune remembered. The platform was barely held up as it was, but with the added weight of both Thomas and Neptune, it could no longer stay up.

The platform fell downwards, with the two quickly falling with it. Neptune grumbled, irritated by the circumstance. However, that thought was put aside as she saw Thomas' frightened expression. Remembering that earlier near-death experience he had at the beginning of the story, Neptune resolved herself.

In a flash of light, Neptune quickly rushed to Thomas' side, "Tommy! Hold tight!" Neptune's voice shifted into its more serious tone as she changed to her CPU form. Purple Heart grabbed onto the falling man, and held him close to her side before stopping their descent, shooting back up.

"Th-thank you," Thomas said under his breath, as Purple Heart shifted to keep him held with one arm, while taking out her weapon with the other.

"We are not quite out yet," Purple Heart noted, "Keep holding on. I'll get us both out!"

Thomas hummed an affirmative, nodding as he tried to stay close. He held his arms around the woman's waist, while clasping his hands together just outside. This wasn't the first time he held close to a goddess helping him out, as with Uzume and Blanc, but he was feeling a little self-conscious about it more here. He glanced away, then winced seeing Purple Heart lifting them high up towards the floor's ceiling.

Purple Heart soon turned towards the entrance, now their exit, and flew forward with her blade at the ready. It was a matter of time before she was intercepted by the few robot jets still inside the mobile factory. Purple Heart attempted to shake them from firing on her by weaving back and forth, before trying a spin. This did little to deter the enemies, though it did mess with their aiming, as they kept missing their fire. Thomas was also trying to keep from getting too dizzy.

Noticing this, Purple Heart pulled back towards the chasing robots, and spun with her blade to tear through them, before resuming her flight. The few remaining cannons that weren't deployed outside began to turn towards her, charging up to fire. Purple Heart saw this, and arched downwards, diving closer to the ground and in between several of the piles of metal and materials. The cannons struggled to aim directly at Neptune, and only managed a few shots that only did damage to their own disabled machinery.

Sure enough, flying low allowed Purple Heart to get through over the assembly line, and the CPU called out, "Iffy! Compa!" She was reaching the entrance, with the two still lingering inside. Despite being told to leave, the two stayed just nearby to wait for them to return.

IF and Compa waved quickly, before turning to run outside. Thomas re-opened his eyes, only to squint at the daylight shining from the open entrance.

"They're out!" Uni was quick to react to the group coming out at roughly the same time. The Candidates rushed in to give cover to the other group's retreat. With the help of the Guild's snipers, the Candidates attacked any enemies nearby, as IF and Compa fled north into Lastation proper, while Purple Heart flew northeast, further away from the battle, to a more open clearing. With their task complete, the Candidates returned to keeping the robots occupied.

* * *

The small clearing was just outside of Lastation, but was far enough for Purple Heart to go for a landing, slowing down and getting her feet down to safety. The CPU felt a little more relaxed, and eased her grip on Thomas, "You can let go now. We're on land."

Thomas slowly balanced himself on the ground, eventually letting go of his embrace, though he still felt a little woozy and disoriented. He held his hands up to note he was alright, and just wanted to stand upright for a moment. It was plain to see he was rather dizzy, so Purple Heart held a hand over Thomas' shoulder just so he can stay up.

"I did not think my flying would be as disorienting as an amusement park ride," Purple Heart joked, finally letting go after Thomas stabilized.

"It's okay," Thomas said, holding a hand up to his forehead, hoping the spinning would stop eventually. "Oof, at least we made it out, somehow." Thomas muttered under his breath.

He then paused, looking to seeing Purple Heart turning to check on the battle. Thomas thought a moment before he turned his body to bow politely, "Uh, Lady Purple Heart. Allow me to formally thank you for saving me there!"

Purple Heart tilted her head, looking at Thomas, "Hmm?" She looked a little surprised by Thomas' action, saying, "You need not be so formal, Tommy. You can still call me Neptune, if you wish. In any case, I was helping out a friend, just as you did back there."

Thomas flustered a bit, "O-of course." He had to remind himself that the CPU is the same as the lazy, carefree girl he's known since his days at the Basilicom. It was just strange, however, for him to consider this. Purple Heart had a much different aura, a different presence, to him. It was enough to make him a little nervous.

"Uh, perhaps you should go and help out the Candidates?" Thomas said as he looked back to see Nepgear in the distance slicing through a couple of jets, "Isn't it exhausting to stand around in CPU form anyway?"

"I believe they can handle this part on their own. We have done enough with our last bit of interference," Purple Heart said politely, "And yes, this form can be a little tiring to hold. I feel like I can manage this time, however."

"Is that so?" Thomas asked rhetorically.

Purple Heart closed her eyes, thinking on some things. "It is not common for us to speak like this."

Thomas blinked at Purple Heart, "What do you mean by that?"

Purple Heart chuckled briefly, "I mean, to speak to you in this form. I still remember the first time you saw me like this. You were completely out of it after a while. Were you truly that stunned?"

Thomas sweatdropped, "I regretfully can't say I remember much of anything afterwards." The first time was during that ceremony long ago, but in truth, he was stunned by Neptune's sister revealing herself, and the revelation of Thomas' rescuer that fateful day. He grumbled, "Don't like that you have a better memory of that day."

"Don't worry about it," Purple Heart smiled, "You just stood there with this goofy look on your face for a while before some people moved you to a seat out of the way. I wasn't sure if you were ever going to snap out of it."

Thomas grimaced, feeling his heart sink, "That just sounds embarrassing."

"That's the second time I must have broke you," Purple Heart joked, before saying more quietly, "Perhaps you no longer view me as just some kid to dote on."

Thomas snapped out of his brief melancholy, "Pardon?"

"It was nothing important," Purple Heart said with a shake of her head, before turning to face Thomas, "So, what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Thomas arched an eyebrow at the next question.

"2-D or 3-D?" Purple Heart asked in as cheery a tone as the CPU could make with her current voice.

Thomas' cheeks reddened quickly, and he rolled his eyes, "You're just teasing me now, aren't you?"

Purple Heart laughed a little, "Maybe I am. I can't help myself. I always like to see these expressions. Don't think I didn't notice how you were acting earlier, either."

Thomas flustered, crossing his arms, muttering, "Sh-shut up."

Amused, Purple Heart laughed a little more, "Don't take it too personally." She seemed very pleased with what she got of that tease. Her expression changed rather dramatically in mere seconds, though, as she rapidly turned around and drew her blade to block a sudden attack from behind. Wait, what?

Purple Heart pushed away the talons of her attacker, getting into a battle stance in front of Thomas, who scrambled to get into a guarded stance.

"Interrupting a moment like this, **and** attacking from behind? How cowardly," Purple Heart said to her attacker. Upon closer look, we see that it...

It's that owl again! The one that was following them around the Plains and had those glowing eyes. Upon closer look, this owl was certainly a lot more robotic in appearance. Actually, not quite. There were joints here and there to indicate machinery, but its movement seems less powered by electricity. I mean, the eyes were still glowing electricity, but there's also some ticking inside, as though it was powered by... clockwork?

"I don't recognize this model," Purple Heart noted, "But all the same, you're going down."

The owl flew backward for a stretch before turning around and flying down at the CPU. Purple Heart met this with a counter, slashing upward and clashing with the bird's metallic talons. The clash produced a draw, as Neptune lept back and the owl had to fly back a bit.

Thomas gritted his teeth and took to the offensive, trying to catch the owl off-guard with a quick attack of his own. The owl spun away from the blade, turning to try and peck him with its beak. Thomas dove away from the bird, rolling back and standing next to Purple Heart.

The two stood on guard, before a projectile shot from behind them, aimed at the owl. The owl reacted by holding its wings around itself tightly. The armor on its wings hardened enough to deflect the kunai, which dropped down to the ground.

"I knew something was up!" IF shouted as she and Compa rushed to join the two, "That thing's been circling around you two like a vulture since you landed."

"Wasn't I the one who pointed out how off that owl looked?" Compa said, suggesting she was the first to notice something off.

"I'm glad you're both here, in any case," Purple Heart said, content with the assistance regardless who noticed what first.

The owl was not deterred by the new reinforcements, as it briefly shot up into the sky before diving down at full speed close to the four. The group didn't have time to react when it impacted the ground, causing a shockwave that caught everyone off. The four were knocked back in different directions, with Purple Heart able to balance herself quickly thanks to her having some flight.

The humans, however, were hit pretty hard, as Compa and Thomas crashed close to Neptune, and IF was knocked away from the group. The owl flew back up between the separate group, readying itself for its next attack.

The three got up, feeling some of the damage inflicted on the hard landing. "Ow, my knees," IF complained, before trying to hold her guard at the owl decided to pick on the isolated person, turning to fly towards her.

"Iffy!" Purple Heart was already moving forward to try to intercept the owl, but she was still pretty far back.

Thomas struggled to get up on his feet, and, seeing IF in trouble, tried to recall what he did much earlier. Reaching down to his scabbard, he called out his recently acquired move:

 **"Super Sonic Sabre!"**

Thomas had a sudden rush of energy, as he darted forward. As he got close to the owl, he pulled his blade and aimed right at its center, passing by it in a quick, supersonic second. The resulting attack, and sonic boom effect, knocked the owl off its flight path. It barely managed to stabilize itself before it could crash, and Thomas' strength was still too weak to inflict much damage, but it did stop its momentum.

In addition, Thomas ended up well ahead, now standing near a perplexed IF. "IF! How are you holding up?" Thomas asked.

"U-uh, a little hurt, but could be worse," IF answered, "What the hell was that?"

"New move, I guess?" Thomas wasn't too sure, himself, as he went through his inventory. "Is a Healing Circle good?"

"We'll talk later, but yes, that'll do," IF nodded, as Thomas used the healing item to help out with both his and IF's injuries. Meanwhile, Compa helped heal both herself and Neptune with her First Aid skill.

The owl turned its focus on Thomas and IF, hovering in mid-air for a few seconds while its eyes glowed more fiercely, firing several electric beams in their direction. The two reacted quickly to dart to the side to avoid the blasts.

This gave Purple Heart the opening she need, as she caught up with her blade, unleashing a flurry of attacks at the owl, **"Cross Combination!"** Although the owl was able to avoid the first few attacks, it soon couldn't stay away from Neptune's relentless assault, culminated with her launching the owl in the air with her blade, only to fly up and smash it down to the ground for good damage.

"I'm getting really sick of being thrown around by these robots!" IF shouted, starting to snap, "It's bad enough I had to sit uncomfortably with a bunch of scrap and get my coat messed up, but these assholes had to make me run around like an idiot through sewers and machinery. I'm sending this creature straight to hell!"

IF jumped up really high, and rapidly threw a bunch of blades down at the owl, pinning it down. Not content with one, two, or sixteen things to throw at it, IF charged up in mid-air and dove down in similar fashion to what the owl did earlier. This was actually a part of her ultimate move, **Apocalypse Nova,** as she crashed down at the owl with an ice attack. The move knocked it back a few more feet, dazed, as IF quickly got up, **"I'll give it this, too! Burn in hell!"** Charging up more of her magic, she launched a powerful attack, incinerating it in an explosion.

IF seethed in anger, even in victory, as Compa went over to check on her, "Uh, Iffy? Wasn't that a bit much?"

"It pissed me off," IF muttered, "No. Mercy."

Purple Heart reverted back to her human form, and took a deep breath, "Phew! That was more than I was expecting from a sneaking mission. Everyone alright?"

IF and Compa nodded, while Neptune tapped her cheek in thought, "Oh, by the by, Iffy, Compa, any idea what we were fighting a moment, there?"

IF shook her head, "Not a clue. I never saw that thing before. You, Compa?"

Compa thought a second, "Can't say I have."

"Must've been a one-off design, I guess," Neptune shrugged, before looking over to Thomas, who was checking around where the owl was before it was incinerated. He was looking for any drops or clues related to the creature.

"I've seen it before," Thomas said bluntly, recalling something, "I mean, before this firewall even started. I've seen it!"

"You have?" IF asked, "Well, don't leave us hanging, tell us when and where you saw it!"

"Remember the last crisis? I mean, the one where you guys apparently revived Uzume?" Thomas said as he looked at the others.

Neptune nodded, "Following you so far, around the time of the last g-"

"Not now, Nep," IF was not in the mood for that meta nonsense, and gestured to Thomas, "Keep going, Thomas."

"Gamindustri was dealing with a great influx of these delusionary monsters," Thomas noted, "It was here that many people, including myself, were busy with building up what would be the Azure Coast. The former Gamindustri Graveyard."

"Are you saying that owl is one those monsters?" Compa asked, not really sure if that was the case.

"No no," Thomas shook his head, "No, that owl... we saw this owl just watching most of our engagements. Whenever an adventuring group went, it followed behind just to watch. It was constantly leering at whatever we were doing."

Thomas grimaced, "It only became aggressive near the end, when it attacked one of our groups that we sent to the mountains. It just suddenly attacked everything nearby. Human, monster, you name it. From the last report, it was damaged and flew off. Never heard from it since."

"Looks like we found a clue," Neptune declared, "Although, not too smart of it to attack me of all people."

"Maybe it figured you were slacking off again and took the moment to strike?" IF said half-jokingly, though it was hard to tell at this point.

"I was not slacking off!" Neptune complained, "I was busy teasing Tommy here. I think that was a productive use of time."

"I respectfully disagree," Thomas said dryly as he frowned.

"Speaking of which, what was with that super new move, anyway?" IF asked, "People don't usually break the sound barrier."

"Says the person who says she has a demon in her arm," Neptune teased IF, "You do realize all of us have some pretty crazy moves now and then."

"She's got you there, Iffy," Compa smiled, "And it's not just the CPUs, you know."

"I'm just saying it's quite a lot, th-that's all," IF crossed her arms, "It's not like I'm jealous of someone becoming as fast as the wind."

"She totally is," Neptune giggled.

"That took a lot out of me," Thomas admitted, "And it's not terribly strong, anyway. I just... I saw Neptune's Critical Edge and thought of trying something similar. I didn't expect it to be so fast."

"It's great to see you getting a little better, Tommy," Neptune grinned, "But that name, I dunno. Super Sonic Sabre? Nepgear has a normal attack she calls Super Sonic, so are you **really** sure it is my fighting style you're emulating?"

"Hehe," Thomas laughed a bit nervously.

"Whatever," IF grumbled, moving along, "If what you're saying about that robot is true, Thomas, then maybe these things have been active for quite a while."

"Uh, yeah," Thomas agreed, "That could very well be."


	50. ACT III: Lastation Finale

**("And done! 50 chapters, holy crap... With Act III done, I'm gonna take a bit of a break. I need to relax my brain for a while before moving onto the next Act. I will note, much like last time, when you see the first "Intermission" event pop up, that means I'm writing on Act IV. But for now, enjoy the conclusion!**

 **I appreciate any feedback many have offered so far, from telling me to stop with the Italics to rooting for a character to simply joking about. It's been nearly a year, oh dear, and having gone this far has been great. Hopefully the rest of the story will do just as well, or better. I hope.**

 **Finally, just to give you all something to think about, I like to ask you all the following: (1) Who has been your favorite character so far? (2) What has been your favorite scene? Finally, (3) What do you expect in the future? I mean, other than nonsense. That's a given. Eheh." - Author who doesn't mind nicknames.**

 **Also, the triple S rank would remind me more of DMC 4's "Smokin' Sick Style", if that was what I was going for. It wasn't. Still, I like that one of you is thinking of reading into the skill names. Okay, I'm done. Honest!)**

* * *

 **Party changed: Noire, Blanc, Uzume, Plutia**

 **From the Chirper archives, Plutia's icon popped out with the simple message, "Why are there always meanies in every dimension?"**

* * *

With the Candidates and the Guild outside fending off robots, Noire led her group through the air to storm the harbor. The four evaded any fire that came their way, as the Carrier used some of its emergency power to close up the harbor doors. Fortunately, according to the schematics that the others looked over, the doors were not terribly well-armored. Not enough to stop four CPUs, in any case.

Noire had a lot of pent-up frustration, stemming from her time watching from outside the firewall, and being on the sideline so much. A stupid hangar door wasn't going to stop her.

"You're not hiding behind any barrier this time!" Black Heart exclaimed, flying towards the door and getting her sword ready. No longer restraining herself, Black Heart yelled as she slashed at the doors in a diagonal cut. After the slash, she looked to White Heart, "Care to smash this open?"

"Gladly," White Heart got out her axe and forced the door panels to fly back after a pretty big smash. The way inside was clear, and some of the jets were scrambling to get into defense.

Orange Heart flew in first, getting out her megaphone and announcing their arrival with a **"Move away!"** The megaphone's blast was enough to knock back the robots close enough, and forced them to fall further down the dark corridor. Uzume smiled happily, "All clear!" This allowed the other three to get inside proper.

Iris Heart flew in next, overall excited as she gave chase to some of the jets, which fired back in wild shots, missing completely. The CPU laughed, "You boys are such terrible shots. Clearly what this army lacks is proper discipline!" Unleashing her sword-whip, she caught one of the jets and proceeded to tear it apart, before whipping at another jet, destroying its wings before going in for one final strike.

The remaining robots pulled further back down the dark corridor, including the few jets that were initially still docked along the side by metal clamps. The clamps unlocked quickly enough for the jets to follow the other bots, moving into the far-off distance.

Iris Heart stopped her chase, standing with a free hand on her hip, "Already fleeing? It's too bad these robots can't feel fear. How dreadfully boring." She soon stepped back to join the others, smiling at Orange Heart, "I have to say, that little performance was quite adorable."

Orange Heart sweatdropped, nervously saying, "Uzume's getting creepy vibes tickling her back again."

"Plutia, please focus on the robots," Black Heart said bluntly, party as a warning.

"Hehe, very well," Iris Heart's mood didn't particularly sour, "I was just having a little pre-boss tease."

White Heart clenched her fist as she looked down the corridor. As they were in their CPU forms, the little ambient lights they emitted made it slightly easier to see. White Heart could see the end of the corridor opening up for the robots to fall behind into. She growled a little, "Plutia's right on one thing. There's likely a boss or something at the end of this."

"Boss or gauntlet of robots, it won't matter at this point," Black Heart said with confidence, "We'll destroy it all. This is what they'll get for messing with the people of my nation."

Iris Heart flushed a little, "Oh, Lady Noire's all fired up! I'm more than willing to dish out some punishment for the cause."

"Leave some for me," White Heart muttered, "I'm still mad over all they did in Lowee."

"Uzume is glad you're all eager," Orange Heart said with a faint smile, "Yet Uzume still feels creepy vibes. Er, we're here to destroy the Carrier's power source, right?"

Uzume's words brought the three to reel in their, er, excitement. Black Heart spoke as she took the lead, hovering down the corridor, "Uzume's right. Let's all keep that as our priority. You have the timed explosives, right?"

"Yep!" Orange Heart chirped, "As soon as we find our target, Uzume'll set the thingies up!"

"Good," Black Heart nodded, "Everyone, stay sharp."

"Yeah yeah, enough barking, let's get going already," White Heart had little patience to begin with, but least this was a mild complaint.

"I'll make sure to keep the meanie robots off your back, my little Orange Heart~" Iris Heart had one final tease.

"Awww, thankies Plutsy!" Orange Heart said happily, this time unaware of the tease.

Iris Heart winced mildly, then shrugged, muttering, "Er, right. Might be losing my touch there. No matter, the response was still cute."

* * *

With no resistance meeting her, Black Heart still cautiously walked to the end of the corridor, with the doors left open for the group to just walk in. Black Heart stopped just at the doors to look at the final room, "What the?"

Unlike the rest of the Carrier, which even when fully powered didn't have much lighting, this room was very bright. This was due to giant pillar in the center part of the large room. Uzume won't have a problem finding the power source because it's right in the middle, as the pillar was full of what looked like hot plasma. How this all could be contained, or be used, was something I'm not even sure. Looked like something out of science-fiction, honest. Er, in addition to that, there were many massive computer panels surrounding the pillar. I'm going to speculate these things were used to help power up the entire Land Carrier, as the plasma charged up the many wires and tubes spilling down below. The panels themselves looked pretty old, given the amount of vacuum tubes and transistors I can see in there. So, more like old science-fiction, then.

My rambling description aside, it was definitely a massive power room. Black Heart felt some sweat forming over her forehead, as she made the first comment, "I was wondering why I felt a little warm."

White Heart flinched at the heat coming from both the pillar and all the computers running. In addition, her blue hair was starting to lift a little. "The hell is this antique crap?"

"My, how nostalgic," Iris Heart said of the many computers, "I remember seeing some things like this back in school. Maybe I **will** have fun breaking something!"

Orange Sister gasped, "This is, like, totally weird. But hey, there's the power source!"

"Really, never would've guessed!" White Heart said with definite sarcasm, "Let's smash this place up already." Uzume responded with a shy laugh.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Black Heart brought out her sword as she moved further into the building, "The robots around here aren't going to let us just do that."

Sure enough, as Noire got closer, she could feel the tension in the air... as well as a few strands of her hair moving up. She heard some of the clicks and blips of the older computer panels surrounding the pillars, before some of the panels moved out from their 'section' on their own, flipping over to show another function: energy turrets.

As Black Heart got on guard, the other CPUs rushed in to cover her back, before realizing where the other robots have been. Within the walls, panels opened, with the reorganized robots lining up, surrounding the CPUs, and blocking the way out.

"An ambush? Really?" White Heart was partly frustrated, but was also feeling how predictable this was.

"I guess we'll have to deal with the robots first, huh?" Orange Heart said while the four turned their backs to each other.

Black Heart sighed, before giving a smirk. She spoke clearly, as though she was sure something was out there to hear her, "You really think this'll stop us? Your production and engines are out, and your numbers are dwindling. Oh, also, I'm in a really, really bad mood. I'm going to guarantee these robots will be scrap by the time we're done here. So, are you truly going to keep going with this farce?"

Even as most of the robots held their weapons out, and the turrets moved up to aim down at the CPUS, Black Heart remained confident. She was confident that whatever was controlling these things was not going to stand down. She waited for the first move, and quietly murmured to the group, "Get ready..."

The other CPUs drew their weapons, waiting for the 'signal' to be made. It would come, after a few clicks, from a few of the displays on some of the monitors, but could be seen be all the CPUs. It was typed across in blocky, green text.

 **FIRE**

The robots and turrets began to fire on the group. Noire, Uzume, and Plutia dashed in separate directions to start their attacks. White Heart shielded herself briefly with her axe overhead, trying to deflect whatever was firing from the turrets. Enduring more enemy fire, though, Blanc grew more angry, "Screw this!"

White Heart jumped up and flew to the closest energy turret, trying to dodge some of the fire, but mostly just tanking the damage. **"Haaaaaa!"** White Heart shouted, slicing down into the turret and attached computer panel. She purposefully stopped halfway, after being certain the turret was no longer functioning. Afterwards, she used her strength, and the axe to fling the panel down, clearing a group of robots that placed themselves near the way out.

After a few punches and taking down a few robots, Orange Heart flew up to quickly check on the battered White Heart. She smiled cutely at her, before exclaimed, "Lemme help! Here's a heal!" Although a basic healing skill, it was enough to help White Heart heal some of the damage inflicted in the first volley.

"Thanks!" White Heart said quickly, before she turned to go after more of the turrets firing on them.

Black Heart tried to keep herself focused as she went after some of the robots targeting her. Despite the many emotions running through her, she knew her fighting style relied on precision. Going wild like Blanc, or Plutia, goddess forbid, would not be beneficial to her. Of course, that didn't mean she **couldn't** enjoy smashing some robots.

Disrupting the robots' coordinated attacks was first on the CPU's battle checklist. Blanc throwing panels was a good start, but she needed more. For now, however, she focused ahead, sprinting at the first big robot she could find. Although the one she went after only wielded a mace and was intended to 'tank', Black Heart was not slowed down in the slightest, slicing through its arms.

As Iris Heart unfurled her sword-whip to attack multiple robots at once, different robots were brought in to deal with the threat the CPUs posed. The CPUs might have taken some hits from the ranged attacks, but they weren't too powerful. The only Sniper bot that was unfortunate to be in this gauntlet was taken out quite early by Blanc's earlier toss.

Several elemental robots were brought in next. Their armor was quite thick already, as Black Heart struggled to pierce through it directly. Orange Heart had to be in a support role as her physical attacks were hardly denting them, and she was tasking herself with healing the others.

Blanc recalled her first battle with these bots, and brought out her ice attacks on any fire elementals. White Heart grinned as she broke through their armor, and shouted to Black Heart, "Noire, you got fire attacks, right?"

Black Heart caught on quick, "Absolutely!" Flying up into the air, her sword grew warmer, and she dove down on the ice elementals, **"Volcano Dive!"** Adding more to the heat in the room, Noire's attack caused an explosion that melted down whatever defenses those robots had.

It was when the other elemental robots came in that the group faced some difficulties. The air elemental robots, sporting a green tint to their lighting, had similar fans to the one that faced Blanc and Plutia's group in Sim City. Perhaps in an effort to keep the CPUs away from their power source, the elementals started up their fans and tried to push them away with high winds.

Each of the CPUs struggled to hold up, pushing their flight powers just so they could stay in place. White Heart was rather vocal with her displeasure, "Not this stupid crap again!"

"Least it's not so toasty in here, am I right?" Orange Heart tried to lighten the mood.

"We're gonna need to work together on this one!" Black Heart stated, "Everyone! Single-file! Plutia, you're at back!"

Although the other three were confused, they eventually moved behind Black Heart, who was pushing hard against the high winds. While she was doing that, she used her blade to try and deflect any more fire from any ranged turrets or guns.

Black Heart kept pushing, trying to move forward until she couldn't get any forward momentum. Seeing this, she called out, "Blanc! You're up front! Keep pushing!"

"I get it now," White Heart stated, and the two switched positions, allowing Black Heart to catch her breath from the back, and White Heart to begin pushing. White Heart held her axe in front of her as a shield, trying to outdo Noire as they got closer to the elementals. Eventually, she had to fall back, letting Orange Heart take the lead. The pattern continued, and slowly the group got much closer, as the robots tried to move back in response.

"Now Plutia!" Black Heart exclaimed, as Orange Heart pulled back to let Iris Heart push to the front with her sword-whip. Unleashing an electrical charge, Plutia dashed ahead and lashed out. The sword-whip had enough of a reach to hit some of the robots, stunning them. The resulting stun slowed down the high winds enough for the group to catch up and deal with the rest of the air elementals, with Plutia's lightning was enough to bring down their defenses.

The robots were not finished yet, as they reacted to Plutia's lightning by unveiling their latest elemental. The robots came out with electricity sparking across their armor. Iris Heart was first to attack these new bots, clashing her weapon with one of the robot's arms. Despite the clash, and the robot countering with an attack of its own, both were unable to damage the other. Iris Heart laughed as she was fighting, "You can't hurt me, and I can't hurt you? That's no fun at all for either of us!"

The other three pulled back a bit to discuss among themselves. "Fire beats ice, ice beats fire, and lighting beats wind," Black Heart stated, "I'm guessing wind will beat these guys here? Might be a resistance rating issue."

White Heart winced, "I hate to say it, but Green Heart would be a big help here right now."

Orange Heart blinked a few times, before asking, "Will this work?" She held up her megaphone.

"Well, uh, we're not sure?" Black Heart admitted.

"Lemme try!" Orange Heart beamed, before putting her theory to action, "Time for Orange Heart to give her performance!"

Looking at her choice of weapon, she decided to fiddle with the setting, cranking a couple of knobs. As this was happening, Iris Heart took noticed, and pushed back one of the elementals, "Sorry, but I can't be in attendance. Excuse me." With that, she flew back to join with the others.

Uzume cleared her throat, before chirping, "Uzume will give you all a little test!" She took a deep breath in, and held up the megaphone, pondering what to yell out in her attack. Instead, however, she blew into the speaker, which caused some really nasty-sounding static. The other three CPUs flinched and covered their ears, as even Uzume flinched at the noise it created.

The recoil of the ensuing sonic blast was enough to push Uzume back a couple of steps. The blast itself was extremely strong, and violently pushed back the remaining elementals, shorting out their armors, and even damaging the nearby computer panels. Even a bit of the pillar got dented by one of the robots crashing into it. With the remaining elementals weakened, it was a matter of simply going up to personally smash each one as they did with others before it.

After dealing the final blow to the last elemental, Iris Heart sighed, "So much damage, yet I'm still not quite satisfied. Oh well, destroying the Carrier will suffice."

White Heart growled a little, "Is that it? Are we done with this place, finally?"

Orange Heart winced, "Uzume still feels an echo in her head. Owie." She cranked down the settings on her megaphone. Since this move actually hurt her to some degree, she decided to leave that attack alone and not put that in her repertoire. At least, save it for some desperate move to use at the last minute. The feedback she got for her 'test' was positive, at least.

Before Black Heart could make the assessment, there was one last robot, which seemed to have come in late to the party from the first floor. It was one of the larger melee bots, holding a large axe-like weapon and shield. It looked to be heavily armored, and had red lighting tinting it all over. Why, it even had its own name to set it apart: Leviathan.

Instead of feeling dread upon seeing this new arrival, or guarded, Black Heart got irritated, "Seriously? We just went through a robot gauntlet, took down all you got, and you introduce a new robot model? You know what? No!" Noire's built-up frustration reached a boiling point, adding to her confidence as she moved forward with her blade, "Here's what Lastation's CPU can do!"

Bursting forward on her own, the CPU caught the Leviathan off-guard, which feebly swung its axe as Noire slashed through in one pass before quickly swirling back for another attack. Black Heart kept up her speed, going back and forth with precision strikes across any openings she saw. The robot could not react quickly enough to Black Heart's devastating Infinite Slash. Each slash grew more and more damaging, until finally Black Heart flew up and threw down her glowing sword. She then landed, facing away from the Leviathan, and snapped her fingers. Her snap was for dramatic effect, as immediately after, the Leviathan was given several slashes, all at once. This was enough to finish it off.

"There. Are you done, now?" Noire said aloud, looking for one of the monitors to see whether she would get a reaction.

There was no reaction, even after an awkward moment of silence.

Black Heart raised her eyebrows, and looked at Uzume, "We're clear. Set up the explosives."

"Aye aye!" Orange Heart saluted, and began going through her inventory, taking out and planting the explosives around the pillar.

"Feeling better now?" White Heart asked the Lastation CPU.

"A little," Black Heart admitted.

After the explosives were planted, the four CPUs set off the timer and started to flee, exiting the room and heading out the hangar. As that happened, the monitor finally responded...

 **GOTO 40**

* * *

Outside of the barrier, Lastation's soldiers were keeping to their posts at the camp and around the barrier. When the battle started, the soldiers went on high alert, taking more defensive positions, as they were not sure what to make of the battle. Some of their scouts could make out a tank confronting the Carrier, but were struggling to figure out what was precisely happening. As the Guild members within Lastation stepped into the fray, the story became clearer to the soldiers outside, but all they could do was hold position and pray for their citizens' safety.

"This is crazy, being forced to watch all this," one soldier said to his commander.

"I know you feel," the commander replied, "still, we must hold here. Keep your eyes out for anything that might pass this barrier."

"Sir," the soldier stated, "something's happening. The Carrier..."

They could see one part of the Carrier start to glow, before exploding into flames. This set off a cascade reaction, as smaller explosions rippled through the rest of the machine, before flames consumed it all and brought it all down, turning into a gigantic mess of scrap metal.

Many of the soldiers shielded their eyes during the explosions, and while there was smoke surrounding the area afterwards, they could see what had happened. There were sporadic cheers through the camp, soon bellowing out as they could see a few people flying out of the smoke. In particular, the CPU Candidates flew off from the smoke to get clearer air, and to finally relax from the battle.

"Heyyyy! We did it!" Ram, still having some adrenaline, waved her hands up and about for the soldiers outside the barrier. Rom simply laughed meekly, as she wasn't going to be that excited.

Uni sighed, putting away her rifle, and looking into her inventory for something. Eventually, she pulled out a same case of pocky, and took one stick to enjoy as a snack. While holding the pocky in her mouth, she muttered proudly, "I love it when a plan comes together."

"I'm really happy we did it, Uni. I'm proud of you," Nepgear said with a flustered face, though her sparkling eyes trailed down to the box Uni had in her hands.

Uni paused, as the pocky in her mouth dipped a little due to her facial expression. Uni then slowly moved the box over to Nepgear, who happily took saw it as an offer, and took a pocky stick for herself.

Meanwhile, back outside the barrier, the soldier spoke to the commander, "Sir! We're getting reports of the robots retreating southwards. They're fleeing through the barrier and going to the ocean."

"They're heading to Leanbox?" The commander thought to himself before shaking his head, "Tell our people to open fire! Stop as many as you can!"

"Aye, sir!" The soldier said, before heading off to relay the message.

The smoke was clearing up a little, as a figure was stepping closer to the barrier, facing the main camp.

"I-it's Lady Black Heart!" One of the soldiers identified the person, as the soldiers eased a little, waving to their goddess.

Noire stepped as close to the barrier as she was comfortable with. She heaved a sigh of relief, as she felt elated that she was able to save her city. The robots were retreating, and Lastation would soon be free of whatever was seeking to contain them all in cages.

Now was the time to step into the spotlight, and officially reclaim her nation. Recalling the commands from the tome explaining how to bring down this firewall, Noire left her hand out to try and summon the key. After a few moments, she could see some energy at work, but it slowly fizzled out.

Black Heart sweatdropped, "Uhh, did I miss something? I feel kinda silly now."

"You probably need a hand for that."

Black Heart flinched, as she saw Neptune, who transformed back into Purple Heart, walk over beside her. The Planeptune CPU laughed a bit, "Did you forget that you can't do it alone?"

Black Heart frowned, before sighing, "Is that how it works? Fine. Let us reclaim Lastation together, but only because I have no choice, apparently."

"Oh stop," Purple Heart teased, "Be glad that we're here for you."

Black Heart harumphed, but added, "O-of course I'm grateful. I would've done the same for Planeptune."

"I remember, one time, that you did," Purple Heart smiled.

Black Heart sighed, "Please help me out."

Purple Heart nodded, still giving a pleasant smile that somehow managed to irritate Black Heart some more. Eventually, Purple Heart waved behind her, which was cue for all the other CPUs to show up, congregating around the two. Thomas, IF, and Compa soon caught up with the others on foot.

"Tomsy!" Orange Heart said excitedly as she floated over. Thomas was genuinely surprised as Uzume looked extremely happy, before being met with a little chop over his head. Orange Heart, however, put a bit too much effort in what was supposed to be a little bop on the head, and Thomas dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Ow..." Thomas said, wincing in pain, "W-w-what was that for?"

"Eep! S-s-sorry!" Uzume replied, pulling her hands back, "That was for scaring Uzume for a moment. Wasn't sure if Tomsy was going to get out before Uzume blew up the Carrier. Was worried!"

"Ha!" White Heart exclaimed upon seeing this, grinning at Orange Heart, "Now who's the asshole?" Granted, it's not a hammer, or book, to the face, but Blanc wasn't going to let this opportunity to laugh at Orange Heart get away.

"My, little Orange Heart," Iris Heart said of the scene, "You keep on surprising me more and more."

"Uzume is sorry!" Orange Heart said, trying to hold back from bawling over her little mistake.

Even with this ridiculousness behind her, Black Heart decided to focus on bringing down the barrier surrounding her city, using the CPU share energy from herself and those around her.

Lastation was finally saved.

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Histoire's icon popped up, saying, "It is a relief to see Lastation is safe. Let us continue to work together."**

* * *

Several hours after the dust settled and the smoke cleared, Noire and the others regrouped in the Basilicom to check on the damage, and to organize efforts in returning things to normal. In the main lobby, Noire and Uni spoke with Lt. Gabriel, who was brought back from Parap Station to assist with LSN efforts.

"The robots have left Lastation proper," Gabriel reported, "Many have fled south to Leanbox, though some have headed in Planeptune's direction. They are most likely going through the Azure Coast. With all that's happened, we're working to get everything back in order. Cleaning the Basilicom, releasing all the people that were placed in prison by the robots, and combing through the city for survivors."

Noire nodded, before sighing softly, "Thank you for the assistance. Keep at it. I want to make sure everyone's accounted for."

"We'll see what we can do," Gabriel said, before clearing his throat, "Lady Noire, about that other issue?"

Noire winced, as though recalling something, "Please let her know that everything is alright! Just a few bumps here and there, nothing to worry about. Haha."

Gabriel hummed quietly, then, sweatdropping, muttered, "I will go find someone to better convey that message. But otherwise, understood."

Noire nodded, dismissing Gabriel, leaving both her and Uni alone in the lobby. Finding a seat, Noire slumped down and let out yet another sigh.

Uni looked over, "You okay there, big sis?"

"I think so," Noire said, though not quite sure herself, "It's what we do now that bothers me."

"Well, Histoire's speaking with the others in another room," Uni noted, "From what I heard from Nepgear, we'll likely rest up for a while before moving to the next area."

"Leanbox, I assume?" Noire asked.

"Most likely," Uni said, "Though it depends on what Histoire found out. Apparently someone found out a clue about these robots."

"Well," Noire shifted in her seat, "I guess that means I'm going to have to think of transportation. Not all of us can fly to Leanbox, especially if that firewall is in the way."

Uni hummed, "Thinking ahead already, Noire?"

"Someone's got to," Noire said matter-of-factly, "Besides, I got someone at the docks I can call in a favor for. I think we can get a boat for us to use."

Uni smiled, "Wow, as expected of my big sis."

Noire smiled weakly, "You did really well back there, Uni. I... I lost it back there. You performed well to get that plan together in that short a time. So... th-thank you, Uni."

Uni blushed a little, "Uh, I was just helping out Lastation, as expected of a CPU candidate! But, you're welcome, anyway." She quickly started moving, changing the focus, "I'm going to go check on Histoire and the others. I'll let you know what our next move will be."

"Alright," Noire said as she laid back in her seat, "And, really, Uni, thank you."

Uni flustered, "I got it the first time! Seriously, sis... I'll be going now!"

Noire tried not to laugh as Uni bolted out of there before she turned even more red. Seeing that reaction, Noire could understand a little on why Neptune would enjoy seeing her act so 'tsun'.

A little. She wasn't going to do this to Uni often, anyway. She was just happy to be back home, even if for a while.

* * *

In one of the Basilicom office rooms, Histoire was on call with Thomas, IF, Nepgear, and Compa. Uni rushed into the room, almost startling the group as she opened the door. She quickly turned around to try and hide her red face as she made sure to close the door in a quieter manner. With that, the group looked back to the call.

"Yes, Histoire," Thomas spoke out loud, the conversation already in progress, "I swear I saw that robot before at the Azure Coast. I recognized that model." He was still rubbing his forehead, a bit tender after that chop from Uzume.

"If that is true," Histoire noted, "Then we may have a start to finding out more about these invaders. Although, if I may be honest, we are not certain if the robot you encountered was connected in some way to the invaders."

Nepgear chimed in, "I have to admit, I'm a little unsure, too." As Thomas turned his head to Nepgear, she explained, "I took a look at what you said was dropped. I am fascinated by the possibility of clockwork robots, but it's too different from the robots we've faced so far."

"It couldn't possibly be a delusionary monster," IF ruled that out, "And I don't remember seeing that kind of creature in any bestiary, in **any** of the dimensions."

"Maybe it's a unique?" Compa asked, "Tom-Tom only saw one back then. There were not hundreds of them flying around."

"A robot like that could be antiquated, or made in much smaller quantity," Nepgear thought for a second, "Which could mean that we might be dealing with an even older adversary?"

"It might explain a few of the computers we saw on the Carrier," IF said, "And if what Noire's group was saying was true, there was pretty dated machinery in there. Seriously, vacuum tubes? **And** being able to somehow harness all that plasma?"

"It does sound quite remarkable," Histoire replied, "Perhaps there is more to this than I originally thought. I will have to go even further back in my research."

"It does leave the question, where to go next?" IF said, "If Thomas is right, then there is good reason to believe that whatever's behind this is around the Azure Coast."

"Perhaps," Histoire agreed, "If that is the case, then maybe you can all try to access through to the Azure Coast."

Thomas grimaced, then responded, "No. We must go to Leanbox."

"Ehhhh?" IF, Compa, Nepgear, and even Uni all exclaimed their surprise.

IF cleared her throat, "Ahem. A-are you sure about that, Thomas? Didn't you want to finish this adventure as soon as possible?"

Thomas muttered softly, "That is true..." He then shook his head, "I mean, yes, I did agree to that. But, after seeing what happened here in Lastation, I fear about what could be happening over in Leanbox. The Azure Coast has many people, and I worry about them too, but... I don't feel right about leaving Leanbox in whatever state it's in. Plus, we need all the CPUs. That, I am sure."

"I want to help Vert out too," Nepgear said, "She might be a bit odd sometimes, but she's just as much a part of this team as any other. I want to be certain she's okay, and that the people of her nation are safe."

"It isn't the first time the Azure Coast was isolated from the other CPUs and had to survive on its own," Thomas said, "And I know many in there are tough as nails. They can hold out... I hope."

"Really selling it there," IF said, "But I agree. Having all the CPUs with us will be a boon."

"Agreed," Histoire said, "While I made the suggestion on the Azure Coast, I do believe it is imperative to have all the CPUs. It might become imperative when they meet with a barrier that would need as much CPU share energy as possible."

Thomas hrmed, "Considering Green Heart's one of four of the major CPUs in this dimension, we'll need that strength."

"For now, though, take a moment to get some rest," Histoire said, "I am that both Noire and Uni wish to tend to their nation for a while before heading out, after what happened with the siege."

"Th-thanks Histoire," Uni finally spoke up, "I'll let Noire know about this, and don't worry, we'll try to relax a bit."

"I am glad to hear your voice again, Uni," Histoire said, "Please tell Noire I said hello, and thank her for her continued efforts."

Uni bit her tongue, as that would involve more thanking. She was already feeling a bit embarrassed from earlier. She responded, lightly, "Uh, sure will! No problem, Histoire!"

"Thank you, and rest up, everyone," Histoire said to those in the call, "I look forward to hearing more good news in the future."

"We'll keep you posted if we uncover anything more," IF said, "Thanks again, Histoire. We'll talk to you later."

With that, IF hung up the call. After the call ended, Thomas looked to Uni, "Oh, m... er, Uni?"

"Hmm?" Uni tilted her head at Thomas, "What's up?"

"Uh, how's the condition of the docks to the south?" Thomas asked.

Uni froze. Could it be that Thomas was thinking along the same lines as Noire? Could it be he was thinking of getting a boat ahead of time? "Uhh, well, from what Lt. Gabriel said," Uni finally answered, "The docks look to still be in good condition."

"Are they open?" Thomas cut in, as his eyes meet Uni's, as if pleading for a positive response.

"Well, it may take a while for businesses to reopen," Uni said, "But to walk around, I guess, sure."

"Thank you!" Thomas exclaimed happily, "I think I'm gonna start on that relaxation right now! See you all later!"

And with that, Thomas rushed out the room, leaving a confused but again flustered Uni.

"I don't think I'm cut out for all these thanks," Uni grumbled, red as a tomato.

* * *

The Lastation Harbor, known as simply "The Docks" to many Lastation citizens, former and current. Although Lastation's main city was not terribly close to the coast, there was a section of the coast that Lastation claimed as part of the city. It was here that most sea trade would go to and from. Not only was there an industrial and trade port for help with transporting goods, there was also a section further down for other purposes, from people renting out boats or moving around, to something as simple as going for a quick dip.

For Thomas, though, it was a nostalgic feeling as he traveled down one of the platforms. The creaking sounds of the wood under his feet, the sound of the ocean waves, even the smell. It all brought him back to think of earlier days. Going into his inventory, he went back to one of his older items, and pulled out a simple fishing rod, looking it over as though he were reunited with an old friend. After checking to see if everything was alright, from the lure to the line to the reel, he slowly went to cast it into the sea.

With the lure cast, Thomas went to sit at the edge of the platform, which was just high enough for him to dangle his feet below without hitting the water. Even if the fish were not biting, it didn't matter too much to Thomas. For the first time in a long while, since he started this adventure, Thomas felt totally relaxed. Like he was home...

Meanwhile, further down the docks, Noire, Uni and Uzume were checking on some docked ships. Uzume's eyes darted around, as she was naturally curious about the place.

"So, Noirsy," Uzume said, "You said someone was willing to offer their help getting to Leanbox?"

"I called in a favor for someone who's helped with Lastation in the past," Noire said as she checked each boat she passed, "He said there's a sea captain who's willing to grant us passage using his ship. Now, I just gotta find the ship he's using. I remember the ship's number so I'm checking each ship here..."

"Maybe you can tell us the number, Noire," Uni offered, "We could help you in trying to find it."

"No no, I got this, Uni," Noire insisted, looking at another ship, "I was told it would be in this particular dock, so it shouldn't be too long to find it." After reading the ship's number, she smiled, "Found it! Here she is, our ride to Leanbox."

The two looked over the rather large ship. It wasn't a cruise vessel or anything, but it certainly looked big enough to haul a lot of people, or cargo. Uzume tilted her head at the ship, "Cool, I always wanted to go on a sea voyage. Ship looks pretty sturdy too."

Noire smiled at first glance of the ship, "Goes to show how well the people in my nation take care of their ships." She grinned, "Can't wait to show off this ship to everyone else."

Uni flinched, "Uhhh, Noire? Did you take a look at the front of the ship?"

"Not really, Uni," Noire admitted, as she moved a little to get a better look. Upon seeing what Uni was reacting to, Noire reacting in a similar manner, "Nowa?"

"Hmm? What's up?" Uzume was the last to follow the two, and eventually spotted something, "Oh! Sweet! This ship's even got a fancy figurehead up front!" She put her hands together, "Uzume totally digs the mermaid motif here!" She quickly stopped upon even closer inspection, "Huh? The figure looks awfully familiar."

Sure enough, at the bow of the ship, there was a figurehead hanging at the end. A monochrome figure of a mermaid, to be more precise. While it was a pretty basic design, the twintailed hair kind of gave away who this mermaid bore a striking resemblance to.

Uzume turned her head over to check on the ship's name, "LSS Noirina, huh..."

Noire yelped, "What the hell? Is this some sort of joke?" She twitched, shaking her fists, "The one ship the guy hooked me up with! The captain's probably some pervert too. Urgh..."

"It can't be that bad," Uni tried to be a little more lenient.

"I actually think mermaid you looks kinda cool," Uzume smiled a bit, though she might be taken in by the motif.

"That's not the point, Uzume," Noire grumbled, "Geez, this is gonna be a pain... what will the others think?"

As if on cue, someone decided to take some time off to have a little boat ride, going past the LSS Noirina. Neptune was actually putting in a workout, as this was a single-person paddle boat, and the goddess was using her feet to get the boat going, all while keeping the steering steady. The boat was also designed to look like a giant rubber duck, complete with yellow paint and a duck head at the front.

If this wasn't all silly enough, Neptune took the time to sing, "I'm ridin' a duck. Ridin' a big ol' duck. Pedal to the metal, hope I don't run out of luck..." Her singing cut off as she turned to wave at Noire, Uni, and Uzume, "Hey girls! Good to see you here! The water's really nice. Also, nice ship, Noire. Mermaid you looks really cute."

"Hey Nepsy!" Uzume waved back.

"It isn't **my** ship!" Noire complained, insisting this wasn't her idea, "I am not this vain, you know!"

"Whatever you say, Nowa," Neptune shrugged it off, "Is that our ride south?"

"Sure is!" Uzume chirped.

"Nice," Neptune said cheerily, "Looks like we got lot of space to relax for the trip. Well, catch ya later!"

"Uh, see ya, Neptune," Uni said with a polite wave.

Neptune hummed happily and continued on. Noire reddened, "This wasn't my idea!"

Neptune purposely ignored Noire while she paddled, leaving Noire to grow more flustered. The easily self-conscious Noire slowly reached a hand to her forehead, "Just my luck."

"Hey ladies," another voice called out as another duck paddle boat passed by. This time, it was manned by Blanc, who was going at a slower pace, gently paddling while holding a book to read. After another pause, she murmured, "Not a llama, but this will do. Oh, nice ship, Noire."

 **"It's not my ship!"** Noire said in exasperation.

Blanc hummed quietly, purposely not answering as she let Noire grow more embarrassed.

"Rollin' down the seaway, until the break of dawn," Neptune sung as she paddled further down, "Ridin' a duck, with my high-tops on." She again stopped as she spotted Thomas fishing, "Oh, hey Tommy!"

"Oh! Hey Neptune!" Thomas cheerily waved over at Neptune, as the two engaged in conversation. Blanc quietly moved past the two while reading her book, as Uni and Uzume watched the goings-on from their spot. As for Noire, she decided to get out of there. She had a sea captain to speak to later.

* * *

 **ACT III COMPLETE!**

 **NEPSTATION!**

* * *

Returning to the news studio, Neptune joined in for this Act-ending version of Nepstation. This time, she was accompanied at the desk by Lastation's CPU Noire.

"Hey everyone!" Neptune clapped her hands, "And welcome to the end of Act III, and to Nepstation! I'm your ever-cheerful host Neptune, and joining me-"

"-is me, Noire, the goddess of Lastation," Noire introduced herself.

"Whew, that was quite an undertaking to save your nation, Noire," Neptune recalled.

"Honestly, it did take quite a while," Noire admitted, before asking, "How long **is** this story anyway?"

"Hmmm," Neptune pondered, "I think we are currently at about fifty chapters into this story."

"Fifty?" Noire's eyes widened, "Seriously? I didn't think it would get this large. Is the author not concerned that this length would turn away potential readers? Such a story could be intimidating."

"It's alright, Noire," Neptune smiled, "People can always check back on earlier parts, and read at their own pace. Who knows? Maybe they'll spot something they didn't notice before."

"I guess," Noire said while crossing her arms, "We must be getting close to the end then, right?"

"Uhhhh, nope!" Neptune shook her head, "I can't say how far we're in, but there's more story ahead."

Noire winced, murmuring, "What did we get ourselves into this time?"

"While Noire contemplates what dangers lie ahead in the coming chapters, let's move on to a few news stories!" Neptune said as she shuffled some papers on the desk.

A graphic of Lastation's logo appeared in the top-left corner, allowing for Neptune to attempt to sound serious during her line readings. "With Lastation liberated, the people formerly imprisoned by the robots were released. Many of those imprisoned included captured adventurers and Guild members, but also included many homeless and others that were unfortunately outside during the robots' imposed curfew."

"In an interview with a local newspaper," Neptune continued, "An old librarian had this to say." She cleared her throat, "Quote! 'I spent much of my time in a cell, largely ignored save for when we were given food. It was like we were just an inconvenience. When we were given food, it was extremely processed, with basic water. I doubt these robots knew how to cook, but it tasted more like it was in a lab than in a kitchen.' Unquote."

"That bad, huh?" Noire remarked, pondering, "I know a few people who like food rations, but to inflict that on everyone..."

"They probably didn't even add any variety in their rations," Neptune noted, "I mean, today we have all sorts of dehydrated or freeze-dried products we can eat! They probably aren't that bad, either! Probably!" She then got to thinking about it, "Mmm, freeze-dried pudding."

Noire narrowed her eyes, "Somehow always ends up at pudding with you, doesn't it?"

"It's a passion of mine," Neptune nodded, "Purple Heart's perfectly pleased with her passion for pleasant, priceless pudding!"

"Even freeze-dried?" Noire asked.

Neptune paused, "I don't know. Haven't tried it. Have you? Is it good?"

"How would I know?" Noire got defensive.

"Great, now I'm hungry for pudding," Neptune pouted.

"Like it takes a lot," Noire dismissed Neptune's sudden appetite, as she moved onto the next story. The Lastation logo remained as Noire read aloud, "Meanwhile, outside the city, Lastation officials have been putting up signs around the Lastation Plains in order to calm down traffic. After a recent pile-up of vehicles occurred thanks to some joyriders, Lastation has worked to warn potential drivers of possible dangers. 'Caution: Canyon Ahead', 'Caution: Poor Road Conditions', 'Danger: Hidden Blocks' and 'Danger: High-Level Monsters Ahead' are some of the signs that were placed recently. Whether they will deter people from driving into pits or monster dens remains to be seen."

"Have you thought about other things to help with traffic?" Neptune asked, "Speed limits, traffic lights, traffic cops..." Neptune stopped, her mind thinking of something, "Orrrrr, maybe you can use this joyriding thing to Lastation's advantage, like Lowee does with the Triple C!"

"Are you suggesting I hold destruction derbies or some non-sense like that?" Noire was a little offended by the idea, "Lastation is not a place to be dangerously driving! I'm not some nefarious villain looking to tempt drivers with promises of riches or some wish. What kind of twisted logic is that?"

"But you would allow Triple C events in Lastation?" Neptune recalled.

"Th-that's different," Noire said, "I just don't want Lastation to turn into a site only for crash dummies."

"I didn't say turn the entire nation into an open-world playground!" Neptune argued, then pondered, "Although-"

"No!" Noire was quick to put the kibosh on that one.

"Kidding, Noire, kidding," Neptune teased, flipping through the papers. She took out the last sheet of paper, "Our final story involves the constant search on the mystery of the robots behind this firewall. More specifically, the sudden rise of adventurers and treasure hunters within liberated corners of Gamindustri. With the mystery surrounding our antagonists, a slew of new people from all dimensions are joining to find out more."

Noire continued the story, "In Lastation, even during the imposed curfew, there have been reports from the Scouts Union of scouts attempting to either communicate with the robots or tail them to find more intel. The reports have been, unfortunately, pretty light."

"Although details about the Land Carrier and some of its dated technology was useful," Neptune admitted, "There wasn't much else to go on. Kind of hard when the robots make beeps and boops." She then stopped, "You got a word out of them, though, Noire, right?"

"Oh yeah, I did," Noire grinned, "Although, **FIRE** is not much of a clue."

"Is it?" Neptune asked while trying to look deep in thought.

Noire rolled her eyes, "I think we need a little more than that." She ahemed, "That doesn't mean people have stopped looking around for clues. In Planeptune, Saturn Shiro and other scouts have begun looking more intently through the First-Gen CPU's Sanctuary. In Lowee, the Global Expo has been slowly combed through by Copypaste and others in charge of cleaning up the mess."

"Soooo, I take that to mean the Lastation Subway's going to be taking a while before it reopens?" Neptune picked up on this, and took a guess on what could happen in Lastation.

Noire frowned, "That is possible."

"If this keeps up, we're gonna run out of dungeons to explore in Gamindustri that haven't already been sacked of all its loot," Neptune blinked, "We'll only find respawning monsters."

"I don't think so," Noire argued with Neptune on this one, "There will always be new places to see, new monsters to fight, and new treasures that await. Even an old dungeon, like Virtua Forest, gets visited often. You still find treasure there, do you not?"

"Uh, well, I go to places like there to level up because I slack o-er, I mean, I work so hard on running my nation that I don't have time to train physically!" Neptune caught herself.

"Point is, don't worry about running out of adventure," Noire said, "We'll still have plenty to see out in our world. That's not even counting the other dimensions we have access to."

"Okay," Neptune pondered, "So what did our scouts and adventurers find so far?"

"Uhhhh," Noire sweatdropped, not getting any new intel.

"I guess we'll find out more in the later chapters!" Neptune spoke up, "With that, Nepstation comes to an end! Coming up next is our Intermission, with several events. Remember that we are still awaiting all your feedback as to what pairing Thomas may have, and what his fate would be."

"Ah yes, this story's gimmick," Noire said, before asking, "By the way, just **why** do I have to be the one with an uphill battle and with someone I'm currently not too friendly with?"

Neptune hmmed, before grinning widely, "Maybe to give you a challenge? We all know you struggle to make friends, Nowa."

"I can make friends!" Noire scoffed, "I've done so!"

"Perhaps so. But you get the handicap anyway!" Neptune shrugged, "Besides, it does contrast with how we saw Blanc interact at first with Tommy. You could say that contrast was-"

"Neptune..."

"Black and white."

After a long beat, Noire stated, rather bluntly, "I hate you."

"No you don't!"

This edition of Nepstation ended with Noire saying, "Shut up."

* * *

 **Chirper events detected!**

 **Nepgear's icon popped up first, expressing, "I'm so happy to see Lastation is saved!"**

 **Neptune's icon showed up next, "All that fighting has built up an appetite. Only pudding can save me now!"**

 **Blanc's icon appeared soon after, saying what she wanted to do, "I guess I wouldn't mind checking out their library."**

 **Next up was Rom's icon, simply stating, "I'll do my bestest to help you heal!"**

 **Ram's icon was blunt about what she wanted, "Can't we just hurry up to Leanbox already?"**

 **Uni's icon made its appearance next, with the simple, almost NPC-like message, "Welcome back to Lastation!"**

 **Finally, Noire's icon showed up, as she probably put this message down while exhausted, "Of all things... *sigh*"**


	51. Intermission: A Debt

**("Been a while, huh?**

 **Yep, welcome back to Hyperfirewall's Intermission, after a long break. I will be honest here. I was exhausted after the last Act, and wanted to clear my head. That's pretty much it. I have also been writing most of the Intermission here and there. At this point, I am at the halfway point with the last event. It's been a bit of a slog, but I hope you enjoy what's been out. Expect the other Intermission chapters to go out within the next month or so. Gonna try and finish the last event before then.**

 **Expect my writing to be slower afterwards, as I'm pushing myself to get back into things. I promised to finish this story and I will see to it! Even if it's still a long ways to go.**

 **Last bit, just to note of an edit in the last chapter, referring to the "GOTO 4" quote. I have changed it to "GOTO 40" after a comment talked about this. I can't say whether this is an error, or even a story-breaking one, but I decided to change it, all the same. Again, I always appreciate the feedback people offer!**

 **Now to the Intermission!" - A lazy author.)**

* * *

 **"I'm so happy to see Lastation is saved!" (Nepgear)**

* * *

Lastation's liberation allowed for many people to return to their homes. With that, many people were looking to rebuild and get back to their lives. Many businesses scrambled to get goods flowing again, and demand was high. This was probably a reason why, for the next few days, the Lastation market was very busy.

This was quite apparent for Thomas, who decided to restock on items and upgrade his equipment before the party would leave for Leanbox. Unlike in Lowee, where news of his assistance there led to being recognized more, Lastation's citizens didn't pay much notice. After all, many scouts, adventurers and soldiers helped out on the whole. Thomas doubted that the likes of Snake would be looking for celebrity, anyway.

Despite everyone's help, rumor about the lone male in the goddess' party did spread. It wasn't long until Thomas did bump into someone who was willing to offer some assistance.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the help he needed.

"While I do appreciate all that you've said so far, miss," Thomas said to a green-haired woman, "I am sad to say that your advice is a little late, as I already have a few pointers on battling and adventuring."

"Oh?" The woman pause to think as she idly fixed her light green scarf. The woman was the ever-knowledgeable Ms. Manual. To many novices in Gamindustri, she would be one of the first few NPCs willing to offer advice, from fighting monsters to navigating through menus and anything else. While this was good for new people or those looking for a refresher, her basic advice could be a little annoying. Apparently, Thomas didn't need advice on updating his armor and equipment.

After a moment, Ms. Manual said with a small smile, "I understand. Spending time with the goddesses would've helped out, would it not?"

Thomas winced, quickly looking around briefly. He was just outside one of the stores selling equipment that was still open. The place was fairly busy, with people coming in and out of the store, so Thomas was concerned someone might've overheard Ms. Manual mention this. Thankfully for him, that was not the case. Looking back to the woman, Thomas smiled weakly, "Aha, that was certainly the case. If you had met me earlier on when I was in Planeptune, your advice may have been of more help." Admittedly, though, he had Neptune play that role at the time.

Ms. Manual nodded, "Unfortunately, I was stuck here in Lastation when the sky fell. I mean, when the firewall came down. That's the term I hear thrown around by a couple of other adventurers here. Is that correct?"

"Yeah," Thomas answered, "I can only imagine the hardships you all faced while the city was taken."

"It was," Ms. Manual said with a glance downwards, "But we all did what we could. I offered whatever help was asked of me. I'm guessing it was the same with you?"

Thomas hummed in agreement. Ms. Manual followed that up with another question, "Have you managed to build up your Lily Rank with anyone?"

"My what-now?" Thomas tilted his head, having not heard of this.

Ms. Manual's eyes sparkled, "Alright! Allow me to describe what the Lily Rank system does!"

Thomas sweatdropped, "Oh crap..."

* * *

After being given a length spiel about the power of friendship that was the Lily Rank system, Thomas politely thanked Ms. Manual and moved along, finally entering the equipment store. The crowd dwindled a little as Thomas checked through the wares, checking with both the prices and whatever stats it boosted. "Bracelet, bangle, or armlet," Thomas murmured, flipping through the armors.

Time passed by before another person timidly entered into the store, not wanting to be in the way. Nepgear had checked through the site of her last battle, looking for more clues on their enemies. She was also, conveniently enough, digging through scrap metal and anything else she could later use in her mechanical experiments. However, at the moment, she was checking through the stores for anything interesting to buy.

As she looked through a few accessories, Nepgear couldn't help but overhear a conversation at the front. She perked up, hearing a familiar voice speaking with the merchant. Thomas had brought an armlet, among other trinkets, to pay, but he was arguing with the merchant over the price he saw.

"I've been to other markets, and seen the price of this armlet being significantly lower," Thomas said, "If you want, I can get the market listing for those stores to verify-"

The merchant, a middle-aged man, dressed in simple robes, shook his head. Speaking with a sharp tone, he cut off Thomas, "I know, I know. I've talked with many people today about the higher prices. I'm sure they're cheaper in Planeptune and Lowee, but right now, I have to mark these up to cover up my expenses."

"Your expenses?" Thomas arched an eyebrow.

The merchant nodded, and motioned a hand over as he walked down, still behind his counter. Thomas followed him over to where the merchant showed the far more open backroom behind him. Nepgear slowly leaned over to see how open this backroom was. Even though the merchant didn't open the door, both Thomas and Nepgear could see through where there was a giant hole in the roof.

Thomas slowly frowned, "Oooh..." Nepgear looked on in shock, with her mouth agape.

The merchant sighed, "Those robots have pillaged through a lot of our stores. A lot of our goods were taken away, and now I have to deal with the aftermath." He grumbled, "I'll have to hire someone to keep an eye on the store overnight. Hence, I have to bring up costs to help cover all this."

Thomas paused a moment, before turning his head over to the merchant, "How much is it to cover all that?"

"Excuse me?" The merchant was momentarily surprised, before he waved his hands, "It's not just the money I have to deal with here. I need to get the materials needed to patch all this. Lastation's having a lot of shortages right now, and it's going to take a while for things to roll back up. So, unless I-"

"How much?" Thomas did not bat an eye, as he waited for the merchant to make his estimate.

The merchant sighed, putting his hands on his hips, "What I really need is a lot of copper ore, and I mean **a lot.** Like, about eighty blocks of it. That'll make the repair work much easier."

Thomas raised a finger, "Hold a moment." As he held that finger up, he opened up his inventory to check on materials. Thomas then stopped, and pulled out one block of copper one, setting it down on the counter, "I got seventy-nine more of these. Shall we make a trade?"

The merchant blinked, "How did you get all of that-"

"I do a lot of gathering quests," Thomas slightly shrugged, "Plus, it doesn't hurt to have some trade goods whenever you're at a new market." He then cleared his throat, "Will this be enough to cover the repairs?"

"Well, I'd still have to hire someone to repair this, but it should be fine, yes," the merchant was perplexed, "If you're willing to trade that, then I will give you a discount."

"I didn't do this just for me," Thomas noted, "I actually want you to lower your prices for everyone else. At least down to normal market value."

"Really?" The merchant grimaced.

"Yes," Thomas said, "Lastation's an old home of mine, and it needs all the help it could get." He gestured to some of the other items he was ready to purchase, "You have a few tools here that many people will need to make repairs, just as you do. If there's a way to make that process easier for everyone, I'll take it. I'm sure you feel the same?"

The merchant paused, then shrugged, "Yeah, sure. I'll lower the price to market level for everyone, promise even. If only as thanks for helping out, just a little."

Thomas nodded, and he and the merchant went to finish with their trade, and transfer the ore for safekeeping. Nepgear, meanwhile, quietly exited the store to wait outside.

* * *

Outside, Nepgear leaned back by the entrance, looking around the market. She could make out some of the damage the robots inflicted on the market, partly to raid the goods, but also to enforce their lockdown of the city, keeping people bottled up in their homes.

With the threat presently gone, people were happy to be outside, even if Lastation was not known for having much in the way of frills. Nepgear didn't mind, though, as this was part of the nation's character, setting themselves as the work horse of Gamindustri. The stores were all plotted straight down the street, with only a few signs letting people know what was inside. Outside the stores, Nepgear could see people reuniting with people they haven't seen in a long while. She also jumped back a bit in surprise as two Lastation kids dashed by, having a supposed game of tag. It was certainly more jovial than what she was used to seeing here. She didn't mind.

Thomas exited the store, checking with his inventory before moving away from the entrance so others could get in. It was not long before Nepgear leaned over, "Hello!"

"G-! N-Nepgear!" Thomas held back from falling over, as Nepgear genuinely surprised him with that sudden appearance. He then composed himself, "N-n-nice to see you here!"

"I guess I did startle you, there. Sorry!" Despite being apologetic, Nepgear kept a warm, cheerful face, "I was inside the store for a while when you were talking with the merchant. I didn't want to intrude."

"Oh? You saw that, huh?" Thomas said, as his heart was beating normally again after the initial shock. He glanced away, "I was being a little selfish."

"Really? I didn't think so," Nepgear replied.

Thomas sighed a little, "I mean, I probably wouldn't have been arguing for lower prices of a store rebuilding itself, but..." He winced, "I don't know how you all manage your finances on these adventures."

"Ohhhh!" Nepgear blinked, "Well, sometimes it's best not to spend on everything at once. That's one way. I can offer a few other pointers, if you'd like."

Thomas turned to look at Nepgear, who was smiling happily at him, as she was ready to help. Thomas shook his head, "No, no, that's fine. Thank you, though. I'm just bitterly complaining about my budget."

"Oh, okay," Nepgear said while she moved a strand of her hair aside, "The offer to help is still there."

Thomas, wanting to change the topic, transitioned, "Er, anyway, what brings you here? Do you need to upgrade your equipment as well?"

"Browsing," Nepgear answered, as the two moved a little out of the way from the shop's entrance, slowly walking down the street. Nepgear held her hands behind her back while she paced herself, "I don't need to upgrade my equipment right now, and I'm taking a little break."

"Is that so?" Thomas asked rhetorically.

"Yep!" Nepgear answered, regardless, "I wanted to see how Lastation was holding up, so I came to the market." She leaned back to see the game of tag turning about and passing them again, "It's nice to see people outside again."

Thomas hummed softly, "Yeah. I don't really understand this weird curfew the robots were imposing. Are they trying to drive people stir-crazy?"

"I don't understand, either," Nepgear admitted. She turned to Thomas, "I did take a look at some of the gears that you've found from that owl your team defeated. Was it really clockwork?"

"I mean, I don't know how else to explain it," Thomas thought back to try and recall what he did see, "I did remember seeing this thing before. It was running like any other robot running on electricity, but I could hear the ticking on it. It was some steampunk robot, doll-like hybrid or something."

"Wow," Nepgear's mind raced on the possibilities, "No fair. I was driving a tank, and you get to see a cool robot."

"You were driving a pretty strong tank," Thomas squinted his eyes, saying his line as a counter, "I think you had the better deal."

"You even got to hang around my sister, and learn a new move too!" Nepgear complained, ignoring Thomas' counter-argument, "Some people have all the luck!"

"Everyone's idea of what's considered 'luck' worries me greatly," Thomas observed aloud.

Nepgear argued, putting her fists up as though she was sparring, even though she wasn't outright fighting anyone, "It's true, though, isn't it?"

"I have not been convinced," Thomas deadpanned his response.

Nepgear grasped her hands together, as she began, "I mean, while it's true there were dangerous risks involved, a lot of what you experienced could be seen as positive developments too." She counted with her fingers on each development, "You got us closer to finding out a little more of these robot. You got to fiddle with some of the controls on the Carrier, knowing more about what sort of O/S they have. You get to hang out with my sister, and even got a ride from her HDD form. You get to fight a unique boss and robot with the help of my sister and two of her best friends. You have access to a new fighting move. Your new move comes with a sonic boom effect. You get a lot of experience and credits just by fighting alongside any of us. You get to travel around the world with a bunch of goddesses, including those not from this dimension..."

"Uh, Nepgear?" Thomas said quietly, even as Nepgear kept going, switching her hands to count on new fingers.

"You're helping us save the world, that's obviously important," Nepgear continued, "You've leveled up significantly since you started, and got a lot of exercise."

"Nepgear?" Thomas muttered weakly.

Nepgear was listing off just a few more things, before finishing, "In conclusion, it's quite remarkable for someone to have these developments. Many people may like the sort of fulfillment they may get being in such a position you've been placed in. You might as well consider yourself lucky to be a protag."

"Nepgear..." Thomas said in an even weaker tone, having as big a sweatdrop as one could get.

Nepgear saw Thomas faltering, and finally brought herself back, "Goodness! I got carried away again, didn't I?"

"And here I thought it was only Neptune who would be getting meta with me," Thomas said as he looked down in defeat.

"I'm sorry," Nepgear apologized, "My analysis was maybe a bit too in-depth."

Thomas shook his head, "No, no, don't worry too much about it." He reached a hand to rub the back of his neck, "Besides, there is some truth in there. I would consider myself lucky to be able to hang around-" He caught himself, "A-a-anyway, moving along. Despite whatever luck we had back there, have you any luck figuring out any more from those gears?"

"Unfortunately, no," Nepgear frowned, "I never encountered any machinery like this before. If some of what we saw were pre-sentient robot designs, this might even go before that. That's just a guess, though. Besides, if there were clockwork robots before, I'm sure many people, myself included, would've built some by now."

Thomas grimaced at the last bit, "You really like that sort of stuff still? Even after we've fought so many robots?"

"Whatever happens hasn't soured my view on technology," Nepgear stated, "I love to tinker, and no amount of crazy robots bent on destroying civilization as we know it is going to stop that." A thought quickly rushed to her mind, and she clapped her hands, "Hey! Let me show you where we found the tank! There's a lot of material I like to get around there and I thought maybe you'd like to come along?"

"Are you sure that's okay?" Thomas asked in confusion, "I mean, don't you need permission from-"

"I got Uni's permission," Nepgear said quickly, perking up.

"You did?" Thomas asked, as Nepgear nodded happily. Thomas then said, "Okay. Not sure why you would ask me to follow. I'm sure Uni would appreciate it more if you asked her?"

Nepgear pondered a moment, then shook her head, "Uni's busy with a few other matters today with Lastation. Besides, I don't mind if you come along."

Thomas was briefly stunned, "Really? Uh, sure! I'd be glad to."

"Great!" Nepgear said, before pointing in the direction they would have to go, "I can't wait to get a better look at some of those metal casts. Hehe..." She trailed off as she happily walked quickly ahead of Thomas. Thomas eventually had to move up to a jog.

"Woah, we're not playing tag here," Thomas exclaimed, "Do I have to run to keep up with you?"

"Goodness, no," Nepgear relented and slowed down, "Hah, I guess I'm just a little excited."

"A little?" Thomas said in genuine surprise. Nepgear was positively, but not literally, glowing. I mean, this was almost Christmas morning in terms of how excited Nepgear was.

* * *

Thomas looked around the building where the Candidates found the prototype tank, seeing all the supposed junk laying around the totally-not-suspicious secret area where development was underway. Walking past a metal plate, Thomas ran his fingers across the surface, noticing the dusty build-up. On the surface, at least, it looked like he was at some sort of scrapyard.

Nepgear seemed unfazed by the mess, the dirt, or anything that could get in the way of her salvaging. "Oh, neat!" Nepgear cheerfully exclaimed as she shuffled herself into one of the piles, just to get some bit of metal, "I can definitely use this. Although if it was just a little bigger... ooh! There's a bigger piece there!" With the same enthusiasm as before, Nepgear dug through the 'junk' for whatever fit into whatever plans she had.

Thomas stopped to watch Nepgear's antics, and was both amused and concerned over what he was seeing. "Uh, Nepgear? Please be careful not to accidentally hurt yourself."

Nepgear stopped what she was doing, and turned to look at him, still being cheerful, "I appreciate the concern, but you don't have to worry. I'm being extra careful!"

Thomas blinked, noticing that Nepgear had already accumulated some of the dirt from going digging around. He briefly pointed towards a cheek, almost ready to poke it, before stopping himself, and scratching his own cheek, "Uh, you got a little bit of dirt built up already there."

"Hmm? Oh!" Nepgear reached a hand up to her cheek, trying to scratch where Thomas was pointing out, "Here?"

"The other cheek," Thomas corrected her, as she followed, "No, higher up. Yeah, right there." He waited, idly scratching, "Keep going."

Eventually, Nepgear wiped off the bit of dirt. Thomas sighed, shaking his head as he went to lean against the wall of the storage facility nearby, "Seriously, Nepgear. You've only gotten through a small portion here."

Nepgear laughed, "You don't have to worry. It's just a little dirt. I'll clean up after." She joked, "You sounded like a worrying parent, there."

Thomas facepalmed, realizing how he was acting over a goddess, "Crap, sorry!"

"It's okay," Nepgear said, "Besides, it's true that I'm getting a little dirty doing this." She used her hands to dust a little over her uniform. As she was doing so, she commented, "This is actually light compared to when I'm working on bigger projects."

"I would imagine," Thomas slid his hand off his forehead, "You're not planning on becoming something like a car mechanic by any chance, are you?"

"Hehe, not really," Nepgear admitted, "Although, maybe I could modify something to work like a transportation vehicle. Or maybe make a robot with treads or wheels. Oh!" Her attention turned to a few scraps elsewhere, "I could experiment with that! If I implement more of these, I might be able to improve mobility..."

"And off she goes again," Thomas sweatdropped, "Though she seems to know what she's doing. I hope."

"I can't wait to test all these ideas out," Nepgear cheerfully said, "It may lead to new advances in robotics. I could even develop a more realistic-looking one. Like maybe an android or something similar!"

"Maybe?" Thomas arched an eyebrow as Nepgear was thinking out loud to herself. He wasn't sure what to make of the CPU's thought process.

"Anything to get closer," Nepgear giggled, "I'll be able to craft robots that look and act just like their real-life counterparts. I'll be able to play with my very own Neptune bot! Hehe..."

Thomas' eyes widened at the last part. Even after his being a bother earlier, this was not something he was going to blow off. From his time in Planeptune, he managed to know a little more about Nepgear. It also helped that Neptune said a few things about her sister during the times she dropped by.

Yes, Nepgear did love Neptune very much, and vice-versa. However, at times, she could take things a bit overboard. Nepgear could sometimes be very enthusiastic, and that could lead to a few issues. 'Neptune bot' set off the alarm in Thomas' mind.

Moving away from the wall he was leaning on, Thomas walked through the piles carefully, moving closer to Nepgear. He waved his hand to get her attention, as she was distracted by the amount of loot to be had, "Uh, Nepgear? What did you say just then?"

"Hmm? Was I speaking out loud?" Nepgear flushed, "Uh, well... uh..."

"Neptune bot?" Thomas said with a tilt of his head.

Nepgear hesitated, "Uhhh, you must've misheard! I meant to say that I would have plenty of time to play with Neptune after I'm done with my projects!"

"I'd bet," Thomas deadpanned, "Though I don't agree that a robot version of your sister is the same thing."

"Did I say Neptune bot?" Nepgear got defensive, "I meant Neptune plot! You know how Neptune talks about being a protagonist. I thought I would come up with a story for my sister. Who knows, maybe even offer the idea for Lady Blanc to write!"

"Nepgear..." Thomas narrowed his eyes, getting a little impatient.

"Please don't tell Neptune!" Nepgear panicked, shaking her head while admitting her guilt, "I just wanted to have an extra Neptune nearby in case-" She paused, and sighed, "It's no use. It sounds pretty bad, no matter how I say it, huh?"

Thomas grimaced, "Yeah, but try to explain anyway. I **might** not tell Neptune or Histoire, depending on what happens next."

Nepgear winced, before trying to collect her thoughts, "I'll talk. You have a moment?"

Thomas hummed, and carefully sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. Looking up at Nepgear, who slowly sat herself down as well, Thomas said, "Yeah, I have some time."

Getting more comfortable in her seat, Nepgear held her hands together, twiddling her fingers. Making sure she's seated comfortably with her legs crossed over, she began, "Well, um... Let me preface this by saying I haven't gone far with any of this yet! Really, I haven't, it's just..."

Thomas waited a moment, before asking quietly, "Yes? Go on."

Nepgear stopped fidgeting her fingers, and rested her hands on her lap, trying to compose herself, "I've been working on creating a new robot. I wasn't sure at first what exactly to make. Building a robot was one thing, but what kind of robot should it be? What functions should it have? That sort of thing." She glanced up at the sky while in thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to have maybe a robot fighting alongside you? Or maybe even a robot butler! Hehe..."

"So you're thinking of making a robot assistant," Thomas tried to keep the discussion from trailing off.

"Y-y-yeah! So I got to thinking of what to base it on," Nepgear looked back to Thomas, "Annnnd I figured, why not just make one just like my sister? After all, Neptune's pretty reliable. I figured having someone just like that would be perfect. Don't you think so?"

Thomas stayed silent, glaring at the Candidate. Nepgear soon caught and laughed weakly, "So, no, then."

Thomas frowned, rubbing the back of his neck while he formulated his own thoughts. Sighing, he finally answered, "No, I don't think that's a good idea, if all you're doing is making a robotic, er, clone? Are you planning on just making another Neptune? Is that what you really want to do?"

"It's possible!" Nepgear stated confidently, "Making the body will be the tricky part, but you've seen how advance today's robots are! Capable of free will, sentience, and anything that make them act just like us! You can easily program a Neptune AI with all her mannerisms!"

Thomas waved a hand frantically, "Setting aside that it's possible to do that, I'm asking if you really **want** to do that."

Nepgear blinked at Thomas for a moment, not really sure how to answer.

"What I mean," Thomas tried to clarify, putting his hand back to rubbing his neck, "You're not just creating a robot assistant, Nepgear. You're creating a new life. I'm not an expert in robotics... at all, but I would imagine that it is a really big thing to create a robot life here. How would Neptune feel about this?"

"Uh, well..." Nepgear paused for thought.

Thomas continued, much to Nepgear's surprise, "I don't think it's fair to the new robot, either. You are activated, beginning this new life to experience, and are told you're basically a copy of someone else, programmed to be just like that person." Thomas crossed his arms, looking irritated, "Robot deserves to be more original than that, don't you think?"

Nepgear smiled weakly at Thomas' observation, "When you put it like that..."

Thomas grumbled, as he was going on a rant of his own, "It's also completely unfair to Neptune. She's your sister, and you love her and all, correct?"

Nepgear blinked, a little surprised by Thomas getting a little emotional, "O-of course!"

"Then don't copy-paste that," Thomas argued, "You only have one little, er, big sister! You're not going to be duplicate that same sisterly bond no matter how many metal copies or imposters you may have!"

Nepgear bit her tongue at something, before arching her head at Thomas, giving him a quizzical look.

Thomas grumbled under his breath, "Stupid fake pissing me off..."

"Is something the matter?" Nepgear asked, starting to worry, even if this was a way to avoid talking about her issue.

Thomas closed his eyes, and huffed a little. He then said, "I worry about mistaking the fake for the real thing, if you built a robot version of her."

Nepgear blinked, "Oh?"

Thomas sighed, "So infuriating." He then cleared his throat, trying to compose himself, "S-s-sorry, just reminded me of something." He paused, and asked, "Do you recall someone on Chirper who goes by the name of Nepugia?"

"Nepugia?" Nepgear looked momentarily puzzled, before coming back, "I think so."

Thomas flinched, "Right. I know that sometimes imitation is a form of flattery or whatever, but this was annoying." He then explained, "I confused Nepugia with you a few times during my first few weeks in Planeptune. The first few weeks after we met, I mean."

Nepgear raised one eyebrow, "Oh?" She then raised them both, in realization, "Oh!"

Thomas' cheeks reddened, "I should've recognized the difference. Physically, you're both quite different. Eventually, I did notice the difference. In the first few weeks, however, Nepugia took great delight teasing me before unveiling who she was. 'You thought I was Nepgear, but it was **me, Nepugia!'"** After saying that, Thomas deflated, "It was like getting run over with a steamroller."

"A steamroller?" Nepgear wasn't sure about Thomas' wording there.

"Think of it through my perspective, Nepgear," Thomas ignored that part to move along, "You've spent a long time just getting by. You settle down in a new home, new job. You finally discover who was that CPU that saved you that one day. That one that, however indirectly, saved your life and given you that second chance to turn things around. The one that you-"

Realizing how crazy he sounded, Thomas flustered, "Uh, sorry." He ahemed, "A-a-anyway, the point was, I wasn't too happy whenever I was deceived like that." Turning even more red, he looked away.

"That, was a thing," Nepgear said while glancing away, as the two felt embarrassed. Nepgear thought a moment, before turning the conversation back, "A-anyway, I think I understand what you are getting at, Thomas. I would probably feel bad if I mixed up Neptune with a robot I made. I'll think of another design, like a robot butler."

Thomas nodded slowly in the affirmative, "Y-y-yeah."

Nepgear stood back up, "Thanks for talking about it, Thomas! I think I have a better idea of what to do now." Still seeing Thomas looking flustered, Nepgear smiled, "Thomas?"

Thomas snapped out of it, and slowly stood up, "Oof. Okay, I'm up, I'm up." Trying to move on, Thomas said, "So, uh, Nepgear?"

"Hmm?" Nepgear tilted her head.

"I'll, uh, keep what was said here under wraps if you will, too," Thomas said.

"Okay!" Nepgear beamed, as that was went through her mind, too. She then said, "I think I've taken enough things for today. Shall we head to the Basilicom?"

"Uh, sure!" Thomas agreed, just wanting to move along. Nepgear nodded, and she led the way out of the storage area, heading back in the direction of the Basilicom where the party was staying.

The two didn't speak to each other for a while as they walked side-by-side. Eventually, Thomas' cheeks went back to their normal color, as he was taking his mind off of that mess earlier. Before he could get comfortable, though, Nepgear spoke, "Thomas? Mind if I ask a personal question?"

"Uh, sure?" Thomas absentmindedly responded.

Nepgear put her hands behind her back, slowing down her pace, "You said you owe a debt to all the goddesses, right? How much of a debt is it? Is it measurable?"

Thomas blinked, as he was trying to get his mind going again. He answered as the thoughts came to him, "Yes, I did. I do have an idea on how much I need to do to repay that debt, high as is it is. Although, that's not true of everyone."

"What do you mean?" Nepgear blinked.

Thomas still spoke whatever came to mind, without thinking too much into it, "Well, I don't have much of a debt with someone like the other CPUs from Ultradimension, since I haven't met with them before. They all helped in some way, though, so it's still there."

"Oh, that makes sense," Nepgear said.

"Uh huh," Thomas nodded slowly, "They all saved this dimension at one point or another. That all depends on what happens in the future, of course. The debt's a lot higher with others, though."

Nepgear hummed softly in an affirmative. At this point, Thomas realized what he was getting into, and turned the conversation, "You know, instead of making a Neptune bot, how about something smaller with your sister's likeness?"

Nepgear perked a little, "Are you sure?"

"Well, keep away from the duplicate stuff," Thomas said, "But you like to invent and tinker, right? So, how about a Neptune-styled thing? Like maybe an alarm clock? Surely you can think of something-" Thomas soon had an idea, remembering, "Plutia makes plushies. Maybe she can help you make a cute little Nep pl-"

"Absolutely not!" Nepgear waved her hands frantically, "Um, I mean, I'd rather do something else, if that's alright."

"Sure!" Thomas smiled a bit, "I was just spitballing, there. Who knows? One day you'll design something really neat that your sister will like."

"Really?" Nepgear seemed hopeful, "Then I'll definitely think about some idea! Thanks for the advice, Thomas."

"A-a-anytime," Thomas muttered softly, still a bit embarrassed, but likely over the earlier scene. The two continued down towards the Basilicom, engaging in small talk here and there on the way.

As for Thomas' debt, there was one thing to consider. Of all the people that Thomas felt an immense debt to, there would only be one person to which he would never be able to repay. All other debts would never even exist if not for that fateful day.

Nepgear clutched a hand over her chest while walking. She had suspected this to be the case, but after that odd moment, she was certain now.

There was an eternal debt.


	52. Intermission: Pudding

It was another busy day at the Planeptune Basilicom. With Lastation having been liberated, many people were scrambling to deal with the latest developments. The lobby had several people checking their phones as they were trying to reestablish connections with Lastation.

As this was going on, Histoire was in her own section at the corner, flipping through older texts. A staff member came by with a few more books, and Histoire nodded, "Yes, please put them right there on the desk." She pointed out the one area that was **not** covered in papers, as the staff set the books down before heading off. Histoire smiled to the staff leaving, before looking back to her current study.

"I was expecting it to be a bit calmer in here," a familiar voice spoke out, "But I guess my intel was off."

"Oh, IF?" Histoire raised her head from the book to see IF casually walking over to her desk, "This is quite a surprise. I thought you would still be in Lastation."

"I decided to fast travel back here to check on a few things," IF said, relaxing her hands in her coat's pockets, "I know the Guild is pretty busy, but I didn't expect the Basilicom itself to be packed." She looked around the room, adding, "Has it been like this for a while now?"

"Only since that last battle," Histoire said, "I even spoke with Financier earlier. Lowee is experiencing the same."

IF exhaled slowly, "I'm sure Lady Noire will have a lot to deal with for the next few days." She then asked, "Do you want me to help with anything?"

"I appreciate the offer, IF," Histoire smiled, "However, there is no need."

"Are you sure?" IF said, "You have a lot on your desk right now. We wouldn't want you to overheat again."

"I am perfectly capable of handling this," Histoire's expression changed, huffing at the suggestion, "Honestly. You overheat one time..."

"Aha, sorry Histoire," IF said with a weak laugh, "I just wanted to offer some help. We wouldn't have gone this far without your help."

"It's alright," Histoire sighed, before looking back to the desk, and the book she opened up, "I just wish I knew what the exact cause of all this was."

IF peered over at the text, "I take it your search hasn't been fruitful."

Histoire placed a hand over a page, "Unfortunately." She frowned, "I knew that I was speculating earlier about the origins of these invaders. The information we have so far suggests this all predates my creation, at a time when the first goddesses appeared."

"Maybe we're going at this all wrong," IF said as she was thinking aloud. She grimaced, "Maybe this originated from another dimension? After all, the last two major crises came from outside our own dimension, right?"

"That is possible," Histoire took her hand off the page and up to tap her cheek, "Although, in both situations, they involved a catalyst inside our own dimension."

"It's also possible that your initial theory's still correct," IF noted, "Still, if it were an anti-viral program gone crazy, why didn't it act earlier? Why didn't it do anything if it was active during the last crisis?"

"That question is what bothers me the most," Histoire said, looking back at the book, "Perhaps it might be an outside influence, something that had access to all of this tech, but had another purpose."

IF grew frustrated, taking a hand out of her pocket to rub her temple, "This is giving me a headache. We're no closer than we were when we started all of this."

"You mustn't lose hope just yet, IF," Histoire insisted, "We will uncover this mystery yet. For now, please continue working with the goddesses in disabling the firewall."

IF hummed an affirmative, before Histoire spoke again, "IF, I do thank you for coming in to offer a little assistance, even if it was not too much."

"Think nothing of it, Histoire," IF replied, "Just doing what I can to help out."

"I'm glad," Histoire said, a smile returning to her face, "You know, IF. The nation of Planeptune is always in need of help from people such as yourself..."

IF smirked, "I know what you are going to say, Histoire. Odd, since I offered my assistance earlier."

Histoire flustered, "Th-that's a totally different matter!" She sighed, "Regardless, I have been thinking of delegating more responsibility of this nation to someone capable."

"I'm happy that you think so highly of me," IF admitted, "But I have to decline. I'm content with my adventuring duties and helping with the Guild. I'm not much of a behind-the-desk person, anyway."

"I understand," Histoire said quietly, "I can see where Neptune may have gotten her thirst for adventuring from."

"I'm pretty sure she was like that even before we met," IF chuckled, "If anything, she's the one who was a bad influence on me."

"Oh dear, that is a worrisome possibility," Histoire said half-jokingly. After a pause, Histoire asked, "Speaking of which, how is she doing so far?"

"Oh, she's her usual self," IF shrugged, "In fact, I believe she's in Planeptune right now going for some pudding."

"Of course," Histoire nodded, "I take it Compa is happily making some for her."

"Actually, no," IF thought, "I think she's bringing in someone else to make it. Last time I checked, Compa was at the homeless shelter in Lastation, helping make some food for those who were thrown in prison."

"Really?" Histoire asked, a bit surprised, "Nepgear?"

IF shook her head. In honesty, neither really know who it was. But, thanks to the power of the script, we get to find out. Come along!

* * *

 **"All that fighting has built up an appetite. Only pudding can save me now!" (Neptune)**

* * *

"This is not a really good idea. Are you sure it's okay for me to do this?"

The complaint was from a confused Thomas, who was dragged over to Planeptune by Neptune. While he had no problem helping out the goddess, he wasn't sure it was wise to have him of all people be the one to make Neptune's favorite snack. The two were inside Neptune's humble abode, specifically the kitchen, and Thomas was already working on making the caramel, swirling the pan around.

"Of course!" Neptune said happily. She was keeping some distance away from the cooking, but was watching the process with anticipation. "Compa was busy," Neptune added, "So I decided that maybe I like to see if Tommy can do just as well making some pudding. You didn't seem to mind when I asked!"

"I thought we would work on this together," Thomas said nervously.

"We are!" Neptune exclaimed, "You cook. I eat. I even got the recipe for you to follow!"

Thomas sweatdropped, "Pudding is not that complicated a recipe."

"I know! Easy peasy," Neptune chirped, before saying, "So what's with the negativity then? You have some cooking skills from all that time wandering around, didn't you?"

"Well, yes," Thomas said, "But I was just grilling fish and whatever. I never really bothered to make any sugary desserts before."

"What?" Neptune said in shock, "You've never had the chance to taste the wonder that is pudding?"

"I've had pudding before," Thomas narrowed his eyes, "It's practically in most stores around here. I meant I never really made it before. Haven't you made some before? You never tried making some yourself?"

"I refuse to answer that question!" Neptune said in defiance, "Besides, I wanted to see how you do it. It'll give us time to bond and up my affection level!"

"Uh huh," Thomas said dryly, "Having pudding is just a bonus, right?"

"Actually, the pudding is the main part, the bonding thing is the bonus," Neptune corrected him.

"I see how it is," Thomas muttered. He shook his head, "I'm still a little worried. Usually my first time following a recipe doesn't go too well." Much like the time he accidentally screwed up IF's cellphone, Thomas was worried that he'll screw up this recipe, somehow.

"It's okay," Neptune mused, "I'm around just in case things go awry. Who knows, maybe my luck will help out with you here!"

"Excuse me if I still have doubts," Thomas muttered, before setting the pan aside and turning off the stove, "Caramel's done, at least. Neptune, can you grab the ingredients while I pour this?"

"On it!" Neptune chirped, turning to head to her fridge to grab the eggs and milk needed for the custard. Thomas, meanwhile, moved to a part of the counter where he had the pudding molds ready, pouring some of the caramel in each.

Thomas quietly phewed. So far, everything was on track. Although there are a variety of puddings to be made, the one Neptune was most fond of was the combination of caramel and egg custard. This became more obvious when Neptune opened the fridge. Egg and milk cartons made up almost half of the contents inside, neatly sorted by date. As Compa was the one who would often make the pudding, the sorting was most likely her doing.

While Neptune grabbed the closest containers, Thomas took out a bowl and some other items he needed for the next part. "I am curious, though," Thomas said aloud, "Why would you ask me of all people to do this? I understand Compa was busy, but wouldn't Nepgear or someone else be just as eager?"

"It's true, I could've asked anyone!" Neptune smiled as she thought of the other possibilities, "Thing is, I believe I've had pudding before from the others. There are some exceptions. I don't think I've had Uzume try yet. Plutie's usually too sleepy. Rom and Ram typically get Blanc to help them." Neptune hummed for a second, thinking some more, "I dunno if I wanna ask Histy."

"P-point is," Thomas said, as he finished setting up, waiting on Neptune, "Surely they would do a better job at this."

Neptune realized she had been standing there thinking, with cartons in hand and a fridge left open, and shuffled over to close it, before moving back to give Thomas the ingredients. Neptune shrugged afterwards, nonchalantly saying, "Was just curious."

Thomas arched an eyebrow at Neptune, before moving onto the next part of the recipe, "Curious?"

Neptune nodded, though her focus trailed off to watching Thomas mixing the eggs and milk together, "I dunno the exact reason, honestly. I just thought maybe I'd see how you'd do here. Maybe you make fantastic pudding!" She shrugged once more, "Or whatever. In any case, you should be happy! You get to have a little alone time with your favorite goddess!"

"I didn't say I wasn't happy," Thomas muttered, before retorting, "Also, I never said you are my favorite goddess."

"What?" Neptune feigned shock, "I don't believe you. At all."

Thomas shrugged a little, as it was now his turn to be nonchalant, "That's your opinion."

Neptune scoffed, "Pfft! Don't be like that. We both know who it is. It's so obvious." She batted her eyes at him, trying to get his attention, "Come on, admit it. It explains why you spoil me so much. Well?"

"Well?" Thomas paused, glancing over at her.

"Hmm," Neptune pondered, "If you won't say it... I got it!" She grinned, and smiled at him, "Come on, Tommy! Smile if ya love me!"

Thomas turned his glance into a glare, "Really? You're going with that line?" Thomas was a little wary.

This was not the first, or last, time that Neptune teased Thomas, or anyone else for that matter. Thomas did manage to catch on, eventually, that Neptune liked to tease. Despite knowing this, he made very certain to keep a stoic expression on his face so as not to give Neptune a 'point' in her silly game.

"Bah, not even a small smile?" Neptune complained, "Come on, Tommy. Ya need to lighten up a little more. Do more than just read, work, and fish for a living."

"Mmhm," Thomas hummed dismissively, as he was finishing making the custard, straining it into a bowl before pouring it into the pudding molds.

Neptune clenched her fists, emphasizing her point, "No, really! It's really exhilarating to go out and try different things. It wouldn't hurt, you know?"

"I don't think I want anymore, honestly," Thomas said as he readied the molds to put into the steam oven. After starting the oven, he continued, "After this adventure, I would like to have some peace."

"I don't mean that kind of excitement!" Neptune spoke while she turned and walked away from the kitchen area, hopping onto a sofa. She stretched herself and sat down, kicking her feet up a little, "There's more of Gamindustri to explore and experience. Don't you want to actually see for yourself?"

Thomas grimaced, staying close to the oven to keep watch, while turning to look over at Neptune, "I've seen enough. Besides, I wouldn't be talking in your position. Maybe if, say, you did more work when I was working in Planeptune, I would actually have some of that free time."

Neptune flinched, "Nep!" With the conversation turned on her, Neptune pouted, complaining, "I totally was working! Sometimes! When it was really needed!"

Thomas sighed, shaking his head while crossing his arms, "You know full well that wasn't the case. The fact I had to cover up on more than one occasion-"

"So you **did** know I was... er, you know!" Neptune said, catching herself from saying outright that she was slacking from her duties.

Thomas laughed a bit, "Neptune, I may be a little... dense, but from the beginning, it was pretty obvious."

"Fine, whatever," Neptune conceded, "You didn't need to cover for me, though."

"Eh?" Thomas blinked, a bit surprised, "What do you mean?"

Neptune shook her head, "If things really did get bad, Histy or Nepgear or anyone else would've dragged me in. Sure, I'd make a fuss, and it would take away some time from my own schedule, but I can handle it." She then waved a finger at Thomas, "Instead of just doing the work yourself, you could have talked to me about it."

"You-" Thomas bit his tongue immediately after. This was not something he was expecting to hear, and it caught him off-guard. After another pause, Thomas said, "You would've actually done some work?"

"Eventually," Neptune responded, looking away briefly, "Maybe. Point is, you didn't have to do any of that."

"I figured that was part of the job," Thomas muttered, closing his eyes as he was contemplating. In a quieter tone, he spoke, "Just in some way to help out so you can enjoy more time out there. To pay off the debt I owe..."

Neptune tilted her head a bit while Thomas trailed off, but heard what was said. She sighed, "I don't care about some debt or whatever, Tommy. If my friends really need help, then I'll help. Simple. You don't need to dote over me like that. I **am** a goddess, after all."

Thomas hummed a bit, not really sure of how to think about that. "Would you really-"

"Of course I would!" Neptune insisted, "If you wanted, I could've helped you out with the paperwork and-" She caught herself, coming to a realization, "I mean... uhhh, the work's kinda boring, isn't it?"

Thomas sweatdropped, "That was the main issue you have with it, yes."

Neptune winced, "Ohhhhh, right. That." She tapped a finger on her cheek, "Well, uh, maybe if we worked together, it would've been less boring? And quicker? After all, we did work together well at the Carrier!"

Thomas shook his head, "That was mostly you. You took out the cannons, got us away from their attention, and even distracted the robots away from my presence at the terminal." He winced, "You should not have risked yourself so much in that instance, either."

"I wasn't in any real danger!" Neptune said before thinking back on it, "Er... well, I've survived falls bigger than that! Falling would not have been bad-"

Thomas frowned at this, his tone souring a bit, "I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to you then."

Neptune smiled a little, "Also, hello? CPUs transform. I was fine."

Thomas' expression shrank, as he stuttered, "I-I was concerned. That's all."

"Oh?" Neptune perked at what she saw, as Thomas briefly went tsun.

Thomas stopped quickly, noticing something from the oven, "Hold up. Uh, pudding's ready? That can't be it..."

Neptune stopped kicking her feet, "A little early, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Thomas muttered, turning off the stove and pulling out the tray with the pudding molds. Rather than being cooked, the pudding looked to be inflated, growing into a balloon-like shape. "Uh, that's not how it works, does it?" Thomas asked Neptune.

"I don't think so. Why you asking me?" Neptune asked from her position, as Thomas placed the tray on the kitchen counter to cool.

"You've seen Compa make pudding before, right?" Thomas said, "It doesn't rise like a souffle."

"I haven't seen it go like this before," Neptune said, before a thought popped into her head. She lightly teased, "Dare ya to poke it."

"What? No!" Thomas said outright, "I'm not touching it!"

"Why not? You made it," Neptune joked, "Don't you wanna see if it wiggles in that state?"

"I am not particularly interested," Thomas stated, briefly gesturing a thumb at one of the molds, "Besides, I don't think the reaction's going to be a-"

Pop.

The sound, or whatever that followed allowed the bubble to burst, which resulted in a mess. This also resulted in the other puddings popping, leading to an even bigger mess. Naturally, some of it managed to get onto Thomas' face.

The next sound was Thomas exhaling through his nose. Defeated, Thomas reached up instinctively to wipe some of the glop away from his eyes. While the pudding was warm from being in the oven, it wasn't terribly hot.

Neptune held in her reaction for quite a while, just staring at the odd mess. Finally, hopping off her seat and walking over, she casually pointed, "Oh, Tommy? You have a little something on your face."

"Is that so?" Thomas responded dryly. He looked around the counter for a towel to help clean up. It seemed as though his first attempt at making pudding failed miserably.

Neptune shrugged, before looking downcast, "What a waste. I was looking forward to having some more pudding. Wait, hold a moment, please."

Before Thomas could react, Neptune poked Thomas' cheek, wiping off some of the pudding left over. She sucked on the finger, before finishing her taste test. "Hmm," Neptune said, "A little lukewarm, but not bad for a first attempt."

Thomas once again exhaled deeply through his nostrils, before muttering, "Neptune..."

"What?" Neptune smiled a little, "I can get a towel for you. Oh, maybe you're one of those people that would like it if would clean your face by li-"

"Quitteasingandgetatowelplease!" Thomas interrupted that line as quickly as he could, muttering in rapid succession.

"Haha, sure thing!" Neptune beamed, before bounding over to one of the counters where she knew where the paper towel was to help clean the mess.

Thomas was left to grumble in embarrassment. Underneath the pudding covering much of his face, his skin was a bright red.

For Neptune, she would have to wait a while longer before getting some more pudding. Still...

It was worth it.


	53. Intermission: An Old Tale

Outside of Lastation, things have finally calmed down. The scars from the various battles across the Plains were still seen, and it would take a while before they would heal. Despite this, wildlife had begun to return to the area, from wild Dogoos to the smallest of mosquitoes. There was little doubt more dangerous monsters would return to their nests, and adventurers would come back to keep the areas nearby safe for travelers. However, for now, it was relatively calm.

Just outside of the city borders, the area where the Lastation forces set up camp had been cleared. There were no signs of tents, cannons, or people on patrol. On one of the hilltops, where there was once a cannon, laid a long checkered blanket. There paper plates, disposable utensils, and of course, food. An ice chest was filled to the brim with ice and drinks, parked just between the two people who set up this picnic.

On the one side, laying down and resting her head on a long pillow, was the Lowee CPU, Blanc. With the warm breeze being a significant change from the cold up north, Blanc took off her coat, laying it just underneath her, and opened up a book to continue reading. Her hat was set aside, flipped over and made for a makeshift container. Inside were a couple other books, both to give her more reading material, and to keep the hat from floating away in the breeze.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ice chest was Uzume Tennouboshi. The older CPU of Planeptune sat up, as she spent her time digging into all the food. Uzume's eyes brightened, as she looked at the various foods to pick out. Salads, sandwiches, fruits, chips, cookies... it was a lot for her to choose from. Uzume wasn't even sure if some of these items were bought somewhere or hand-made, but Blanc apparently did go to great lengths to set this picnic up so quickly.

"Mmm, so delish~!" Uzume's cutesy voice was muffled through her eating a few small cucumber sandwiches. She muffled a bit more incomprehensible gibberish before stopping to gush over some other food items. To say that Uzume was overjoyed would be understating things. "Ooph! Iph thaph beeph 'n cheez?" Uzume asked with her mouth full of food.

Blanc sweatdropped, stating, "Uh, yes, that is beef and cheese." She then remarked, "Even with you inhaling all that food, I can still hear that voice."

"Ooph!" Uzume came around, gulping down the food in her mouth, and flushed, "Uh, my bad. Didn't mean to be rude."

Blanc nodded, humming an affirmative. Uzume took a paper plate and stacked several of the little sandwiches on it, saying, "This is amazing! I was surprised that you offered this picnic so quick!"

Blanc made a small smile, her eyes darting between her reading and Uzume, "I was in a good mood. Besides, after that challenge, you think I wouldn't take you up on it?"

Uzume realized something, and tried reigning in her excitement. In reality, all she did was slow down putting more sandwiches on her plate. Despite this, she cleared her throat, "Ah, I see! I mean, I knew that! Th-that's why I'm trying out all the foods. To rate it!"

"You don't have to put on an act," Blanc said bluntly, "It's fine. Relax. I wanted to set out this picnic. Besides, I'm glad to see you're enjoying the food."

Uzume exhaled softly, "Ah, thanks Blansy. You did pretty well for such a short notice."

"I actually was planning some outdoor relaxation at one point," Blanc shrugged, "Figured you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all!" Uzume said, before the two resumed their activities for a time. After grabbing enough sandwiches, Uzume grabbed a few cookies to scarf down almost immediately.

Blanc flinched a little while Uzume was noisily munching down, but went back to her book. It was a simple historical textbook. It was more of a refresher to Blanc, who had been around Gamindustri for quite some time. No, I'm not saying anything about her age. You can't make me.

Er, anyway, the point was, Blanc was trying to figure out a few things about what was happening. Blanc could only vaguely remember about the older computers she saw. It was something she had not seen since she was but a young CPU. Even then, such tech was already dated. It wasn't something she was familiar with. Even so, how could such tech even adapt to today's standards? She managed to adapt, but that was because she kept up as time went on. These antagonists apparently were rushing to keep up in a short amount of time.

As she thought of this, Blanc looked back to the noisy Uzume, who was in her own personal bliss. In truth, Blanc had another reason for inviting her along. After the events of the last crisis, she fully remembered of the brief time that Uzume ran Planeptune, although accounts were pretty vague in Lowee. Blanc was dealing with a new upstart in Lastation, and Planeptune had a number of problems befalling it. Still, Blanc remembered there being a pretty devout group following Orange Heart. Eventually, though, things deteriorated, for both Planeptune and much of Gamindustri. ASIC certainly didn't help matters, either.

Blanc casually flipped pages, pretending to keep reading. In reality, her focus was on asking her guest a few things. "You seem to be enjoying yourself," Blanc observed, "Haven't seen you this excited for food since that banquet after saving Lowee."

Uzume finished eating one of the chocolate chip cookies, before saying, "I must be acting like such a glutton, huh?"

Blanc shrugged her bare shoulders, and Uzume laughed in disbelief.

Uzume grinned, "Nah, I totally am. Can't help it, though. Even since coming back, I've wanted to try out as much food as possible. I..." She paused, looking around the plains, as though recalling some events in her mind, "I haven't had much time to try out things back then, you know? Now look at us. A Planeptune and Lowee CPU, having a picnic just outside Lastation. If you said we'd be doing this back then..." She glanced up at the sky, still having the odd spark of electricity go across, "Weather's nice for this, too, even if the sky doesn't look too inviting."

Blanc looked up at the sky briefly, before continuing to 'read', while saying, "Reminds me a little of the Zero Dimension. Only a little, though. By the way, how are things back there?"

"I called Umio earlier," Uzume answered, "Everything seems alright so far, there. No robots messing with anything there."

"That's good to hear, at least," Blanc stated.

Uzume nodded, and looked up at the sky again. She later added, "It's kind of weird, actually. Ever since I came back, Zero Dimension being its own thing feels very strange. Same with Heart Dimension. It's like coming back to an old save file, you know? But now, the save file is going on its own, with or without your input."

Blanc blinked, "How so?"

"This next part is strange to describe," Uzume closed her eyes, "Zero Dimension was... um, limited? Its world was not so open, as it was a world on the brink of destruction. However, since its rebirth, that is not the case. I've discovered a few new areas along the outlying regions. Before, there was nothing but the destruction caused by the Dark CPUs. Now, there's new places to explore."

"Maybe the world, er, dimension, maybe it is growing? Evolving?" Blanc asked, "I am speculating, of course. This is all new territory."

"I know, right?" Uzume blinked, reopening her eyes and staring down at her hands, "A world created by..." She paused in momentarily reflection, before looking back at Blanc, stating, "Same deal with Heart Dimension, although that dimension has more high-level monsters. It's pretty dangerous for anyone going solo." She chuckled, "If not for this crisis, I'd have asked many adventurers to help chart out these growing worlds. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll have new CPUs spring up in those dimensions. That'll be... weird."

Blanc nodded, then simply asked her next question, "So, what will you do?"

"Hmm?" Uzume paused, "Well, I just said-"

Blanc shook her head, as her eyes darted from the book to look straight at Uzume, "No, I mean, what will you do? After this crisis is over?"

"I, I don't understand," Uzume tilted her head at Blanc, who was no longer using her ruse of reading her book.

"You've taken some time to take in your surroundings, revisiting the dimension that's is your home," Blanc explained, gesturing a hand around her, "You spoke with many people, visited places you haven't been to in a long time, even tried out the cuisine." She then gestured her hand out in Uzume's direction, "Now what? What will you do, CPU of Planeptune?"

Uzume was momentarily stunned, before smiling a little. "I didn't think you'd want to talk about something like that," Uzume admitted, "Not to mention that's a deep, personal topic, you know?"

Blanc nodded, "I won't deny that. Still, it's something you're going to have deal with sooner or later." She closed her book, setting it inside her hat with the other books.

Uzume slowly set aside her plate of food as she slid her legs, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Yeah," Uzume said softly.

Blanc hummed quietly, before continuing, "Perhaps it isn't best of me to ask. Honestly, though, has this topic been brought up by the others yet?"

Uzume shook her head, "No, not really. It's... I don't know how to bring this up. It would feel weird to talk to Nepsy, Gearsy, or Histy."

"I figured," Blanc said, "It's kind of why I wanted to bring the subject up. As a rival CPU, I thought I might as well help."

"Strange for a rival to 'help', isn't it?" Uzume asked in feigned suspicion.

"I've lived around just as long as any CPU here," Blanc stated, "Longer than even you. I know how things work around here."

"Oh! So you are!" Uzume grinned, "Alright! That means I'm younger than someone! Blansy's the granny of the CPUs around here!"

"Care to say that again?" Blanc said as her smile grew, but it wasn't the nice kind of smile.

"N-no, it's nothing!" Uzume nervously exclaimed.

Blanc relaxed her smile, the tension leaving her, "Uh, in any case..." She lightly coughed, clearing her throat, "You must've thought about what you would do after all this was over."

Uzume tapped her fingers along her knees, before letting out a hefty sigh. "Only a little," Uzume said, "I was so wrapped up in my travels. Ehehe..."

Blanc frowned briefly. What was with Planeptune CPUs being airheaded or getting caught up in something else? Blanc was likely thinking this before shaking her head, "Much had happened since you were gone. You could go back to being the main CPU of Planeptune."

"I wouldn't **dream** of th-" Uzume was about to finish that sentence before Blanc narrowed her eyes at her. Uzume meekly laughed it off, "Ahaha, well, things are definately different now. Besides, I don't want to do that! It's Nepsy's charge right now, and I look forward to what Gearsy will do."

Blanc tilted her head, "So you're not plotting to overthrow Neptune?"

Uzume clenched a fist, "Of course not! You're not trying to get me to do that, are you?"

"While it would amuse me to see you and the others bicker over your nation," Blanc said dryly, "I was kidding. So, if you're not taking the reigns-" She then raised her eyebrows, "And what of Zero and Heart dimensions?"

"O-oh," Uzume raised her fist to reach behind her back, scratching a small itch. After a pause, Uzume's eyes widened briefly, "I just remembered. During my time fighting in Zero Dimension, I thought of rebuilding there. Maybe, maybe I can still do that?"

Blanc hummed, "I see. I suppose that is better than this idea I had in mind."

"Which was what, exactly?" Uzume grew curious.

Blanc grimaced, "Well, I only heard rumors of older CPUs retiring to live peacefully around in Lowee territory. I was never sure, though."

"Yeah, not happening," Uzume said defiantly, "If you're still active, I'm not retiring anytime soon."

"Well, I guess that means you'll remain an active CPU," Blanc said, "I'm have no intention of retiring, either."

"Good!" Uzume exclaimed, "You and I need to compete again. Even if I have to build up from Zero Dimension, I'll make a nation that'll rival your Lowee!"

Blanc hummed once more, before smirking, "I look forward to it. Just remember, things have changed from back then."

"So I've seen," Uzume said, "Though for a moment, I thought you were getting intel on me or something."

"I was," Blanc stated bluntly, "Just because we're friendly, doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy on any of you."

Uzume winced, "Ahaha... Blanc, with all due respect? Your people skills are frickin' weird."

Blanc sweatdropped, "I was just being honest. People appreciate that, do they not?"

Uzume sighed, "Oh, whatever. Can I go back to eating tasty food?"

"Sure, knock yourself out," Blanc shrugged, "I'm actually quite happy to see you enjoy this."

"Awesome!" Uzume's expression brightened once more as she put her plate of food back on her lap, getting one of the cookies to eat, "Mmmmm~! Ish sho shoopah gewd!"

Blanc winced as once again Uzume went back to eating with very little in the way of table manners. At the very least, there'll be crumbs for any little critters crawling around the picnic.

Also, it gave Blanc a moment to reflect. Could Uzume actually make a nation to compete with anyone in Hyperdimension? Something she wasn't able to do during her first time as CPU? She'll have to keep an eye on her, just in case she needed help. Not just as a fellow rival or CPU, though.

As a friend.

* * *

 **"I guess I wouldn't mind checking out their library." (Blanc)**

* * *

It was at another time, well after the picnic Blanc had with Uzume, that the Lowee CPU went on another trip with someone. This time, it was to one of Lastation's oldest libraries. Unlike Lowee, where Blanc's Basilicom was home to one of the largest libraries in her nation, Lastation had a few libraries scattered through the city. Lastation may be a younger nation than Lowee, but it might have some details or clues on the invaders.

There was another reason for going to this library, which was why Blanc followed along. This was actually an idea brought up earlier by Thomas, who took time off of shopping and fishing to check this library. Blanc so happened to overhear this during a conversation he had with Neptune, and offered to come along.

Apparently, during his time in Lastation, Thomas spent nights doing a lot of research from this particular library. It may have been a while since he went back to the building, but it did give him a sense of nostalgia.

The building was just at the edge of Lastation's market on the way to the Basilicom. Outside, it looked like any other building in the market except in size, being slightly bigger. The only thing that gave it away was the front entrance, with glass doors leading into the lobby, and 'LIBRARY' being listed in bright white text just above.

After going through the lobby and around the circulation desk where the librarian was working at, Thomas and Blanc headed inside. Compared to the library in Blanc's Basilicom, it was quite small. There were a few reading areas, and one area dedicated to children's literature, but there weren't a large number of bookshelves. By all accounts, this was a stereotypical public library.

"It's like I never left," Thomas murmured quietly. Looking around the familiar place in quiet awe, Thomas walked past the first few shelves, before stopping by an empty table. He put a hand on its wooden surface, losing himself in remembrance.

Blanc wasn't have the same feeling, although she was relieved to see this library looking relatively undamaged. It had been a while since Lastation had been liberated, so whatever damage they had must`ve been repaired. Still, seeing Thomas entranced, Blanc spoke quietly, "You're gaping like a fish."

Thomas blinked, and firmly shut his mouth. He then turned to look at Blanc, whispering, "Sorry. It's just kinda weird being back here again." He slid over to sit down at the table, placing his hands on the surface, "It was here that I read up..."

"On?" Blanc asked, as the two kept their voices down. There were not too many people, but the two did not want to disturb their reading.

"Uh, well, everything?" Thomas said with a shrug. He then smiled weakly at Blanc, "I guess this where I found about more about you. I mean, the goddesses."

Blanc raised her eyebrows, as Thomas looked up at her with such an innocent expression. "You read about me?" Blanc asked in some concern.

"Uh, I mean," Thomas said in a fluster, trying to keep his voice down, "I didn't know a whole lot about what was going on in Gamindustri when I first started. I just read whatever I could to understand more." He slowly stood, looking to another area, "When I wasn't not studying here, I sat down with whatever newspaper or magazine the library had."

Thomas walked over to the more relaxed reading area, with more comfortable chairs arranged around a small, cozy fireplace. Behind a simple screen, a small fire burned, giving some warmth and a little light to nearby readers.

Thinking back, Thomas rubbed the bridge of his nose, "This was also where I went to relax with some fiction. Some days, I just didn't want to research. You understand, right?"

"I wonder," Blanc trailed off a little, glancing back, "What sort of stories did you read about us? What did you think-"

Thomas held back a laugh, quickly raising his hand over his mouth before it would startle anyone. Still, it interrupted Blanc's thinking process, and Thomas smirked, dropping his hand before whispering, "Do you really wanna know?"

Blanc blinked as her mind thought of what rumors and stories did he read about her or the other goddesses. She frowned a little afterwards, saying, "Best if I don't. They were probably all wrong, anyway."

Thomas felt a bit of warmth at his cheeks, "Uh, well, I couldn't take much stock in them, anyway. Honestly, I wasn't really sure what a goddess would actually do beyond their duties. Even after I met Neptune and Nepgear, I wasn't really sure."

"I suppose that would confuse a few people," Blanc admitted. Those two certainly would give different impressions of what a CPU was.

"Took me a while to realize that these are not some typical goddesses you read in books," Thomas said, trailing off a bit, "I'm happy with what I did see, though."

"Hmm?" Blanc could not quite hear the last part, as Thomas' voice trailed off. "What was that last part?" She asked, while she arched an eyebrow at something. While Thomas was briefly reminiscing, Blanc felt a little warmer. She looked at the fireplace to check, but the flame was still rather dim.

"Oh," Thomas shrugged a little, "It doesn't matter what I read. I am glad to have met you all."

"Yeah yeah," Blanc said dismissively, glancing away, "Flattery's not getting you anywhere."

"If you say so," Thomas muttered, as he turned away, moving to check on each of the bookshelves.

Blanc sighed softly as Thomas left her behind. That warmth faded slightly, but she managed to figure out the source, as she felt a small jump in her Share Energy. Shaking her head, Blanc followed where Thomas left, until she saw him stop by the shelf listed as 'C'.

Thomas knelt down to the bottom section, looking through the various books. Seeing Blanc, he gestured to the books, saying quietly, "I usually went here for fiction. Pick a book, and sit back to relax for the evening. You can understand getting lost in a story, right?"

Blanc nodded, humming an affirmative. As Thomas went through more of the books, Blanc saw something at the corner of her eye. She froze immediately, getting a sense of dread.

Blanc recognized that a lot of the books were pretty old. So old that she could date a few as around the time she was still a young CPU. In fact, one particular book was very familiar to her.

During her younger days, there was little time to do anything but keep Lowee afloat. It was a tumultuous time, with many nations rising and falling. Thanks to her efforts, Lowee grew more and more secure. Once that happened, Blanc had more free time, and slowly discovered her love of reading, writing, and storytelling. Inspired by the first few, admittedly poor, stories, Blanc resolved to write something. That story was eventually self-published under a pseudonym.

That story was printed in small quantity and faded into obscurity, as it was poorly received by critics and readers. Blanc was devastated, though she was thankful that no one could tie it to her. She thought the story would stay in obscurity, never to be seen again.

Unfortunately, there was a copy right here, in this old public library, read by who knows how many people. She then noticed that Thomas stopped at the book. His expression twinged, as he muttered, "Many of these old books are still here, I see."

"Oh?" Blanc said as she tried to hide her concern. Had Thomas actually read this?

"Ah, just a few obscure books," Thomas shrugged. Before he could move onto another section, Blanc moved closer and knelt down, looking over the books.

"Really? Have you read any of these? Any good ones?" Blanc asked, feigning some interest as she went through some of the nearby books. Some of the other titles were familiar to her, but her interest was checking Thomas' reaction.

"I've read a few of these, yes," Thomas said, "I do like reading some of these stories. I don't know if any of them were fantastic, though."

"I see," Blanc murmured, before eventually stopping upon the book she had written. Although she put on a strong front, Blanc was extremely nervous when she pulled the small book from the shelf. Thomas tilted his head, as Blanc turned the book to look at the cover. "'Tale of the Fairy Curse' by Neige," Blanc read the title, as inside she grew more nervous, "Have you read this one?"

"You're interested in that one?" Thomas asked in a surprised tone, holding out a hand so Blanc can hand the book over. Once Thomas received the book, he checked its cover and flipped through some of the pages.

The next few moments were difficult for Blanc's nerves, as she held her hands close to her chest. It was then that she frowned, pondering why it would matter what his opinion on this book was. This was only her first attempt at a book. She knew she got better as a writer, so much that she's even got a story to a publisher. Yet she hung on what his reaction would be.

Thomas, unaware of this, casually looked through the book. Eventually, he spoke, "I believe I did read this once. It was a long time ago, though. Haven't seen this author's name in any other book, so I guess this might be that person's first work."

"I think it said so at the back?" Blanc said in passing, trying to pass off her knowing this as just a passing observation.

"Is that so?" Thomas said, turning the book over to see some of the details. "Ah," Thomas confirmed this, putting a finger over the small text at the bottom, "It said the author was inspired by many tales and wanted to give it a shot. Huh."

Blanc picked up on that last 'huh', "Something up?"

"Oh, no, it just makes a bit of sense," Thomas commented, before looking to Blanc, "You want this book?"

"Em?" Blanc was briefly surprised, before responded, "Uhh, I was just curious. W-what do you think? Is it any good?"

Thomas furrowed his brows, looking back down at the book, "I'm not much of a literary critic, honestly. Uhhh..." He thought back to when he flipped through this book, trying to remember, "I'll admit, this book isn't particularly good."

"Oh," Blanc frowned a little, "That's too bad."

Thomas shrugged a bit, "Yeah, well, don't let it stop you from enjoying this, though." Before Blanc could react to that, Thomas continued, "For a first story, it's not so bad. The first story is usually not the best, but this person clearly put some effort and love into this tale. I'll admit, the story did bring me in for a time, so..."

He offered the book back to Blanc, saying, "If you can get some of the silly things in this book, I think you might enjoy it. A brave knight, rescuing the realm from a great evil, and saving the princess, who was turned into a fairy. Does that sound interesting?"

"You think I would enjoy it?" Blanc blinked at Thomas.

"You're an aspiring writer, aren't you?" Thomas asked, "I'm sure you'd appreciate something like this, at least learn something from it. Maybe one day I'll be reading one of your works by a fireplace, getting lost in the world you created."

Blanc bit her tongue, preventing her from bluntly telling Thomas that he already did. Thomas then laughed a little, "It's a bit silly, though."

"O-oh?" Blanc flinched, "How so?"

"I don't know, the brave knight was awfully powerful for a guy who was raised on a farm," Thomas said, "Already learning magic at the beginning in addition to being super strong. The book had too many plot conveniences happen for the knight to succeed. Also, for a fantasy book with fancy names, the knight was just named Jim." He snickered quietly, "Can you believe that? I'm sorry, but that would throw off any reader-"

* * *

Outside of the library, back in the market, two people were engaging in conversation.

"I've been thinking about getting some new armor for my next Guild quest," a young man was asking his friend, "Do you think Lastation's got some good bracelets I could buy?"

"I don't know," his friend replied, shrugging, "The market's still trying to get back on its feet after the invasion. Maybe you could try going to the other nations first to see if they got anything?"

Their conversation was then rudely interrupted by the sound of the library doors opening quickly. This was followed by large swing of a hammer, launching the hapless Thomas through the opening, over the two people, and crashing into a wall across from the library.

With Thomas planted into the wall, his voice muffled out, "Dis nu Lahstayshun ahmah ish preddy stwan. Still, feewin payn. Ow."

Thomas slowly slid down the wall, as the two looked back to see a seething Blanc.

"Say, is that the goddess of Lowee?" The young man asked his friend.

"I think so," His friend replied, "And he survived that hit?"

"I'm gonna check that new armor," The young man said quickly.

"M-me too," His friend replied as the two quickly fled.

"Frickin' critics..." Blanc seethed, ignoring the others who was watching this unfold. She would later apologize for getting too angry with 'Tom', and resolve to not let such criticism get to her.

At the moment, though, Blanc's rage could not be contained. It would be a long while before Thomas would know who 'Neige' really was.


	54. Intermission: Not Quite Healing

**"I'll do my bestest to help you heal!" (Rom)**

* * *

It was a quiet afternoon at the Lastation Docks. It was so quiet, that there were no fish biting in the waters. Thomas saw evidence of this when he sat for a few hours with not a single nibble. This didn't bother him too much, as he was taking this time to relax and go through his thoughts. However, as the hours passed, Thomas decided it was time to stop fishing. Coincidentally, this was also the time when his phone vibrated, getting a text message from IF.

Getting up from his seat at the docks, Thomas checked the text message, which stated, "Hey Thomas, Ram asked me if you were still at the docks. You still there?"

Thomas, putting away his fishing rod, slowly typed his response, "Yah, still here."

A few moments after he sent a reply, taking the moment to look back at the sea, IF sent a reply, "Ram wants to continue magic training. She says she'll meet you down there. You up for that?"

"Sure," Thomas sent a simple reply, as he was still trying to get used to the small keypad on the phone. He was more used to computer keyboards than the smaller things. The phone also had a tendency to autocorrect him if he wrote any more, so he wanted to keep things short.

"Ok!" The reply started from IF, "Me, Compa, and Nep will be there to watch. Be seeing you."

"See you!" Thomas sent his last message before putting his phone away. While waiting for when Ram to arrive, Thomas took the time to think about his use of magic. Although he acquired some new magic skill, it wasn't terribly strong. A water AoE attack was actually pretty good, and certainly useful for dealing with hordes of enemies. Unfortunately for him, its strength is pretty low, thanks to his low stats.

In a world where RPG stats was as normal as having inventory space to carry things around, Thomas was a bit concerned over how his stats were going. His AGI stat was the only thing considered remarkable, becoming as swift as IF. His recent sabre skill notwithstanding, he was pretty fast. Outside of that, his stats would be considered below-average. He was fast. That was it. The few levels he did raise saw a small increase in INT and TEC, but beyond that, he was still nowhere near as good as any of the adventurers. He had to be careful in any fight.

Thomas was grateful for one thing, though. Being able to wield magic was remarkable. It was a surprise to him that it was something people could wield in Gamindustri. He was too busy staying away from fighting to give it much thought. He wondered about what other applications he could do with magic, other than giving anyone a bath or drink, of course.

As he thought about it, he continued to watch the sea, before focusing a little more on a certain spot. Maybe he could manipulate or bend the water, somehow? It was worth a shot, Thomas thought as he tried to call upon his affinity to concentrate on the water. It didn't go quite the way he wanted, however, as he dropped some more water into the open sea. At least he didn't drench himself again. Thomas frowned a bit at the result.

"If you wanted to make a little wave, you could've jumped in and did it yourself."

Thomas jumped in place, surprised and turned to see none other than IF standing at the dock, "IF? You're here already?"

"We weren't that far away," IF shrugged, "Ram's waiting in the nearby field. Shall we go?"

"Uh, yeah," Thomas said with a small nod, stopping his magic and following IF away from the docks.

The nearby field was open, much like the Lastation Plains, minus some of the battle scars. There were only a few small hills and a couple of trees. Naturally, both Neptune and Compa were sitting by a few trees in the shade. Upon seeing IF and Thomas, the two perked up and waved hello. "Hey Tommy!" Neptune chirped, "How goes the fishing?"

"Poorly," Thomas said matter-of-factly, "The seas were awfully calm today." He then looked around, "Uh, where's Ram? I don't see her anywhere."

"You didn't look hard enough, dummy!" Ram's voice boomed, as she hopped out from behind one of the trees, "It is time for another lesson, young pupil!"

"I-I guess so?" Thomas sweatdropped, listening to the small CPU Candidate refer to him as young.

IF left Thomas to sit with both Neptune and Compa. Meanwhile, Ram grinned and walked up to her appointed pupil, "So far, we've figured out what element you're into, and you've even got a spell! So far, so good!"

"Ah, th-thank you, Ram," Thomas smiled weakly, "I will admit that it was good when I used it."

Ram laughed, "Of course! Hit a well-timed spell, and you can turn the tide of battle! It's why I love using attack spells. Today's not about that, however!"

"It's not?" Thomas blinked, a little surprised hearing that from Ram.

"Ah, well, I've been thinking," Ram tapped her temple with a finger, "So far, you can cast water. Dropping water or whatever on the baddies is cool and all, but there's more to it!"

"I did see Thomas try to move some water in the sea," IF spoke out, "Didn't pan out, though."

Thomas laughed meekly, "I guess I still need to work on that."

Ram nodded, "Lucky for you, I brought along a special guest to help with this! Come on out, sis!"

Unlike Ram's entrance, Rom slowly peeked out from her hiding spot, behind another tree, "H-hello."

"Oh, hello Rom!" Thomas said happily, "Are you here to help out too?"

"Uh-huh..." Rom said as she slowly walked out from her spot, joining her sister.

"I'm a big black magic caster," Ram explained, "But for this next part, I think my sis will be more helpful. She's super great with white magic!"

"You're not bad either, Ram," Rom wasn't content with being complimented so much by her sister.

"Oh, I can heal too," Ram retorted with a small giggle, "Hehe, but I think you might be good at explaining how to turn magic to, you know, do stuff!"

"Do stuff?" Thomas blinked at Ram.

"Like healing, duh," Ram said to be more specific, "It'll help you keep back in the fight and help us out!"

"I am curious," Compa murmured, "I would like to see how Rom explains healing with magic spells."

"You could offer to teach Thomas how to heal, Compa," Neptune looked to Compa.

"I'm not much of a teacher," Compa said, "And I still have much to learn for my nursing career."

Rom overheard Compa speaking with Neptune, and fidgeted a little, "Uh, I dunno if I am good at teaching."

"You're not getting cold feet already, sis!" Ram exclaimed, "You said you wanted to help and give teaching a try, right?"

"Uh, well, I do want to help," Rom said quietly, eyes glancing downwards, "I just don't know what to say."

Thomas hummed in thought as he looked between the CPU twins, before speaking, "You're trying to help, Rom?"

"Uh-huh," Rom nodded, "But I'm kinda nervous..."

"It's okay," Thomas said, "We're all here to help out. Take your time. Think about what I know so far, and think about what you need to teach."

"O-okay," Rom said as she held her hands together, trying to think. Ram sat down next to her sister, crossing her legs and tried to be patient. It wasn't her strong suit, but she wanted her sister to succeed here.

Thomas put his hands in his hoodie's pockets and watched Rom trying really hard to think. Her eyebrows furrowed and her face grew more serious.

There was a period of silence, where Neptune slowly grew bored and began to climb one of the trees. IF, Compa and Ram looked confused as they watched Neptune struggle to get up.

"Nep, what the hell are you doing?" IF asked of her friend.

"After seeing everyone climbing in this story," Neptune complained, "I wanna prove that I can do it too!"

"Nep-Nep probably just wants to climb up and laze on a branch like a kitty," Compa joked.

"Even when trying to show off, it's only so she can be more lazy," IF noted.

"Bah," Neptune said, trying to find somewhere on the tree to cling to, "I just wanna climb, is a-WAH!" One of her feet slipped as it moved up the tree, causing Neptune to lose her grip and fall off, crashing down below.

"Neptune!" Thomas exclaimed, "Are you alright?"

Neptune fell on her rear, wincing a bit at the pain. "Yeah, doing alright," Neptune assured everyone, even as IF and Compa got up to check on her, "I fell from much higher. No real damage, just scraped a little around the knee. Oof, yeah, gonna stay grounded for a while."

"Damnit Nep," IF said as she and Compa sat down near Neptune, "You don't have to be so reckless."

"I'm fine, really mom, I mean, Iffy," Neptune teased, rubbing her bruised knee.

IF flinched, "Yeah yeah, blame me for caring. Compa?"

"She's fine, Iffy. Nep-Nep's had bigger falls," Compa gave her second opinion.

"Oh! I got it!" Rom spoke out suddenly, surprising everyone around her.

"Nep!" Neptune responded with a small hop, before wincing at her bruise, "You got something in mind, Rom?"

"Y-yes!" Rom said as she turned to Neptune, "Miss Neptune? Is it okay if we help heal your bruise?"

"Oooh, nice thinking, Rom!" Neptune smiled, "Sure thing!" She then thought, "Yyyyyeah, I planned to do this! To help out! I meant to do that!"

IF rolled her eyes at the obvious lying, while Compa giggled. "You sure that's wise, Nep-Nep?" Compa asked cheerily.

"Sure, lay it on me!" Neptune said with pumped-up fists.

"I'll be ready with the bandages, just in case," Compa said as she checked through her inventory.

Neptune blinked at Compa, having a sudden sense of unease about her. Meanwhile, Rom clapped her hands, "O-kay!" She turned to Thomas, and exclaimed, "Tom!"

"Uh, y-yeah, Rom?" Thomas said, still a little surprised by Rom's burst of confidence.

"Remember when you did that meditating thing, to help out me and Ram back in Lowee?" Rom asked Thomas, hoping this would lead to making her lesson easier.

Thomas nodded a little. Rom continued, "If you can boost someone's mana with our Share Energy, then maybe you can use your magic to heal someone's HP?"

"Is that so?" Thomas said, "But I'm not sure if that's the same thing."

"You're healing MP with that skill," Rom noted, "So, think about how that is done, and go from there."

Thomas took a hand out of his pocket, rubbing the back of his neck, "Alright. I guess I'll try."

"Okay!" Rom said, "Remember, you're using magic to make people feel better. Please don't drench poor Neptune with water."

"Don't give him ideas like that," Neptune joked, "He might actually do it."

Thomas immediately flustered, "N-no I wouldn't!"

"Careful there," IF muttered, "The more you react like that, the more likely Nep will continue doing it."

Thomas sighed, as Neptune beamed at him, waiting patiently. Even though she was bruised, Neptune was relaxed, curious to see the results of this.

Meanwhile, Thomas closed his eyes, trying to make that connection between his meditation skill and using magic to heal. He also kept in mind his affinity with water, though he didn't want to drench Neptune's knee. He wasn't terribly creative, but he did recall many stories with people casting water-related healing spells. Maybe he could invoke something similar...

After another period of silence, where both Ram and Neptune surprisingly kept their patience, Thomas finally invoked some magic, opening his eyes and focused his spell on the affected knee. Neptune soon felt a small sensation around the knee, as the magic slowly healed.

"Hehe, I think it's working," Neptune said with a titter. However, as it was healing, the magic was going along the leg, namely behind the knee, and it was starting to tickle. Neptune's titter soon grew into a laugh, and the magic was thrown off, finishing its healing and focusing on tickling the goddess.

Neptune soon fell over, bursting into a fit of giggling before the others reacted. "Uh, Nep?" IF asked in confusion.

"Magic's tickling me, pffthahaha!" Neptune couldn't say a whole lot after that, as she was tickled along the back of her knee and her feet. Neptune squirmed and futilely swiped around where she was tickled.

Ram saw this going on, growing more frustrated as she stood up, "Stop the spell, Tom. Now."

"I thought I did!" Thomas said in exasperation, as he pulled back from using the spell.

"Looks like leftover magic," IF observed, "Unless Thomas really wanted to ti-"

"Absolutely not!" Thomas complained, his cheeks reddening.

Ram grumbled, "Really Tom? Your healing has to have that side effect? I'm the only one who can tickle."

"This wasn't intentional..." Thomas sweatdropped, as Neptune laughed a bit more before the lingering magic started to fade off.

"Hahaha, ooh, phew, it's stopping. Gimme a moment, hehe," Neptune said between laughing, resisting as best she could. After the tickling subsided, Neptune panted, catching her breath.

Thomas slumped his shoulders, and Rom looked over at him. She spoke out, "Sometimes, magic can do its own thing. You have to stay focused through the whole thing so it doesn't do things like this."

"I-is that so?" Thomas said, feeling rather embarrassed by the unintended side effect.

"Haaaa, that was a little workout," Neptune said, slowly getting up as her knee felt better, at least. "Still, Tommy? Even if you say that was unintended, I feel you need to be punished."

"Punished?" Thomas raised her eyebrows, being a little concerned.

"I agree," Ram pouted, "Only I get to tickle people when I heal! Uhhh, I mean, Tom must learn a harsh lesson!"

"Exactamundo!" Neptune said, "And this is something only yours truly can do. Tommy, stand still for a moment." Neptune was still acting cheery, but as she raised her hands, it was clear that she was going to tickle Thomas the old-fashioned way.

"Eep," Thomas flinched, before saying, "Uh, I think I learned enough for the day. I don't need to be punished in such a way. D-don't I deserve some leniency?"

"Nope!" Neptune said simply, getting closer, as Thomas slowly started backing away.

"Well, uh, in that case..." Thomas quickly turned, and began a fast dash, "AGI, MOV, don't fail me now!"

Neptune blinked, seeing Thomas fleeing, and clenched her fists, "Hey! Get back here! Your stats are not high enough to evade me!" She went off to give chase, as the two ran off down the field playing this game of tag.

Ram crossed her arms and looked frustrated, "That didn't go so well."

"I'm sorry, Ram," Rom said, looking downcast, "I guess I'm not that good a teacher, huh?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, Rom," IF shook her head, watching the chase, "Thomas did do some healing there, so that's a good first try, even with that side effect."

"That said," Compa added, "Let's tell Tom-Tom to stick with items for now."

"Agreed," IF sighed, "He can heal himself with magic. I don't trust him with healing others, just yet."

"Tom's not going to do anything bad with that magic, is he?" Rom asked, a little concerned.

"If he does, he'll quickly regret it," IF stated.

In the end, Thomas was able to obtain a heal spell exclusively to use for himself. Until he learned to completely control his magic, he was told to use items or his meditation skill.

He somehow managed to evade punishment, at least.

* * *

 **"Can't we just hurry up to Leanbox already?" (Ram)**

* * *

It was another day for Thomas at the docks. He wasn't sure when the group was ready to go to Leanbox, but Lastation needed to get everything in order first. Noire and Uni were quite meticulous on matters of their nation, so it would take a little while before they were satisfied enough to leave Lastation. So, until they were ready to go, Thomas would make the most of this time to relax.

Unlike the other day, Thomas managed to get some fish biting. Even if they were a few smaller catches, Thomas was happy to have some activity. In any case, Thomas once more cast into the sea, sitting at the edge of the dock.

Thomas was starting to feel a little sleepy, and gave a quiet yawn. A few seconds later, he heard an 'echo' of that yawn, though it was clearly a different voice. Hearing this, Thomas turned his head back to look behind him.

The yawn came from a sleepy-eyed Plutia, who finished yawning before waving a little, "Heeey! Hi!"

"Oh, h-hi, Plutia," Thomas smiled, waving a bit with his free hand in return, "How's it going? What brings you here today?"

"I'm a little tired, but okay!" Plutia responded, stopping beside Thomas at the dock's edge, "Your yawning made me yawn, though."

"Eheh, sorry," Thomas apologized, "I guess I'm feeling a little tired too."

"I heard you've been fishing around here," Plutia looked toward the sea. She was enjoying the sounds of the ocean waves, and was feeling relaxed. Looking back to Thomas with a small smile, she asked, "Is it okay if I sit here?"

"Uh, sure, I don't mind at all," Thomas inched a bit to the side so Plutia had some space to sit down. The dock was pretty high above water, which allowed both people to dangle their legs freely. Plutia slid over to the edge, sitting down beside Thomas and adjusting herself.

Plutia sighed happily, "Ah, this place is so quiet and peaceful. I kinda wanna sleep here."

"I worry you might fall over into the water," Thomas mused quietly to himself.

Overhearing that, Plutia giggled, "Hehe, it is okay. I won't fall in. If I do, though, will you fish me out?"

Thomas winced, "I'd rather you not fall in. I'd panic and jump in after you."

"Oh, will you now?" Plutia's eyes widened, as she tapped her fingers together. Her expression twisted a little, and Thomas visibly flinched at this.

"Uhh, Plutia?" Thomas said, feeling more concern over what Plutia had in mind.

Plutia puts her hands back on her lap, and she beamed at him, laughing, "Haha, I was only teasing! I am glad you would help, though." Happy, Plutia leaned over, relaxed against the confused man's shoulder.

"Eh?" Thomas' cheeks reddened significantly. He wasn't prepared at all for this, and he froze in place. This wasn't the first time Plutia rested against him, yet he was much more self-conscious of it this time.

Plutia slowly realized this, noticing Thomas' reaction, and said quietly, "Oops!" She casually moved away from Thomas, stretching a bit with a yawn. She murmured in between her yawning, "Gotta take this slowly..." She then shook her head, quietly murmuring some more to herself before looking back to Thomas, smiling weakly, "A-ah, Tommy, are you alright?"

"Eh?" Thomas repeated his earlier noise, before snapping back to reality, "Oh, uh, yeah! Sorry, I was a little surprised there. Erm..."

"That's good!" Plutia said, surprising Thomas with how sudden her interuption was, "Anyway, Tommy? Can I talk to you about something?"

"S-sure!" Thomas said quickly, hoping this would make things a little less awkward with the two of them.

Plutia sighed softly, leaning to the other side of the dock, giving the two some space. After a moment collecting her thoughts, Plutia began, "Since we started, I have been thinking. You don't like fighting, right?"

Thomas blinked at the topic being brought up, and slowly nodded, "Yeah." His eyes looked back to his fishing rod, seeing the line being relatively still.

"I thought so," Plutia said, "You did seem like a big scaredy cat when we first met. Well, I dunno..."

"You don't know?" Thomas commented, "I thought it was pretty obvious."

"Back in the Otori Caves, I," Plutia grimaced, "I was transformed. I was getting kinda crazy, fighting all the time. Yet, you came out to help with Uzume."

"Uh, well, I remember about you, and your friendship with Neptune," Thomas recalled, "I was a little worried about what would happen, of course."

"Hmm," Plutia thought about this some more, and wasn't really sure how to put it into words, "Sometimes, you don't act so scared."

Thomas smiled a bit, "Oh! I guess that means I'm improving a little. I'll take that as a compliment! Thanks, Plutia!"

Plutia shook her head, "No, that's not it! Yes, you've improved from then. But no, even then, I should've seen something. Hmmm..." She grew a little frustrated with herself.

Thomas tilted his head, still taking it as a compliment, but curious about what Plutia was going on about, "Seen something?"

"Yeah," Plutia frowned, "It was like, my first impression, I thought I saw a coward. A scared, broken man. But, something was weird, and I didn't see it then." She continued on, pushing her mind this time, as though she normally wouldn't do that in her sleepy human form, "Even then, there were times you were not so scared. Weird part is, I kinda liked it when you showed that side, even if it was bad, like when you and Noire got all angry."

Thomas held back a small laugh, as Plutia was puzzled by the reaction, however small. "I'm serious!" Plutia pouted, "When I saw stuff like that, I was amazed to see it. Tommy being kinda different than what I first thought."

"S-sorry, haha, I didn't mean to laugh so suddenly," Thomas said as he set aside the fishing rod and tried to remain still for this conversation, "Please, ha, continue." He cleared his throat and fidgeted in his seat.

"What's so funny?" Plutia grew more confused, "Was it something I said?"

"N-no, heh, it's not that at all," Thomas fidgeted, putting his hands under his armpits. Despite what he was saying, Thomas continued to barely hold back his laughing, "Haha, sorry, I do not have any idea." He then burst out laughing, unable to hold back.

Plutia frowned at Thomas, "Tommy, I'm trying to understand something. I walked allllll the way down here from Lastation wanting to talk to you."

Thomas shook his head, waving his hands, but unable to say anything coherent.

Plutia huffed, "Don't leave me out! Tell me why it is so funny! I feel like you're being really mean right now."

"Nonohaha, please! Stop!" Thomas laughed some more, squirming in his spot until he slipped off his seat, falling off the dock, "Aaaah!"

Plutia scrambled to her feet as Thomas fell into the water with a splash. The splash was far away enough that she did not get soaked. Before she could act further, Thomas surfaced, spitting out some water and panting. At least he was no longer laughing.

The Ultradimension CPU had some conflicting emotions, but she was mostly confused and irritated. As Thomas floated in the waters, regaining his bearing, Plutia could hear someone suppress a small laugh. Actually, she could hear it from the next dock over, on board one of the docked boats. It was a small giggle, but it was there.

Plutia slowly made her way back, going over to the next dock to check on the source of this giggle. Thomas, meanwhile, was getting his breath back, and slowly swam his way back to the docks. Getting back to dry land, Thomas took off his hoodie, wring some of the water to try and dry it off.

As Thomas was drying off from that, Plutia boarded the vessel where she heard the laugh. She crept up on whatever was still snickering, eventually spotting a familiar pink hat popping out from behind a crate.

Dusting off her hands, the culprit was none other than Ram, who felt better after using her magic to prank Thomas and tickle him to the point where he fell off. "I feel a little better now," Ram told herself, "It's been a while since I pranked someone. Ha, the look on that dummy's face the moment he fell over was great! Wish I had a camera for that. Oh well."

"Rammy?" Plutia gave herself away, slowly walking over to the young CPU, "Was that really you?"

"Uh oh," Ram winced, "Ah! Hey Plutia! Uh, hope I wasn't interrupting anything!"

Plutia closed her eyes, and Ram shook a bit. She had no idea what was going on in Plutia's mind, as she was focused on teasing Thomas. Ram looked around, looking for an escape route, just in case she was in deep trouble.

Instead, Plutia re-opened her eyes, a devious smile going across her face, "Not really. I have to say, Ram, you're coming along quite well."

"O-oh?" Ram hesitantly asked.

"Hehe, you definitely have some potential," Plutia said in a cheery tone, "Reminds me of what I was when I was little."

Ram laughed nervously, before Plutia came over and patted her on the head. Ram was not too sure if that was a compliment or not. Wait, Plutia was outgoing and playful when she was younger?

"Oh, I'm still outgoing and playful," Plutia said with a small wink, in response to the narrator, and to what she perceived as what Ram was thinking, "But anyway, Rammy, I look forward to seeing you grow more. You wanted to be a wise magic sage, right?"

"That's right," Ram said, still unsure about Plutia.

"I can't wait to see that too!" Plutia said happily. Even though she was interrupted, Plutia can't help but be amazed. A smart and talented magic-user resorting to tricks to tease anyone? No wonder she saw something of herself in what Ram was doing.

I worry for Hyper Dimension.


	55. Intermission: First Impressions

**("And this will conclude the Intermission! From here on, expect the updates to be a little slower, as I try to keep my pace. It's a long way to go, and there's still plenty of story left. I'll admit, I'm not too used to writing more dramatic parts, but this will be an interesting experience. I hope you will enjoy this, and what may happen in the next Act. Again, any feedback regarding the story is greatly appreciated.**

 **As for what to expect? Well, read on. This Intermission bit is actually important for later. It can't all just be cringe and fluff!**

 **... Though I like cringe and fluff." - A cringe-inducing, fluffy author.)**

* * *

 **"Welcome back to Lastation!" (Uni)**

* * *

Lastation was almost done. At least, that was what Uni and Noire told themselves one morning. In the aftermath of taking back their own city, the two swamped themselves in work trying to get the nation back in order before they left. However, Uni soon realized that she needed some time to take a break, herself. The other people in the party were doing just that, and she was greatly missing out on some time to indulge in her own hobbies. She told Noire as such earlier, too, in the hopes of getting her to take a break as well.

Eventually, the two agreed, as much as they would like to make sure everything was perfect before going, that they should take the next couple of days to relax. They already made contact with who they needed to keep Lastation going while they would be out. While Noire was heading out to check out city, Uni decided to spend some time at the Basilicom doing other things.

Uni had some plans later in the afternoon. That's all they were, plans. Not a date with Nepgear. Definitely not. I am being informed harshly that this is not a date. I had a good talking to prior to this chapter and everything! Don't read into this!

In all seriousness, though, Uni was planning to stock up on items at the market, and Nepgear offered to help out, having gone there earlier. Strangely enough, at this time, Uni was going to meet with the person Nepgear met during her first go.

While the party initially rested at the hotel the Guild was holding during the siege, they eventually fixed enough of the Basilicom to go rest there. While Uni and Noire returned to their old bedrooms, everyone else were assigned separate guest rooms.

Thomas rubbed his right eye as he slowly walked out of his guest room. He was still feeling a little restless despite having a long sleep. Turning to close the door, Thomas then leaned on the door to take a breather.

"Already exhausted?" Thomas heard the voice of Uni, who was walking down the hallway, stopping nearby and crossing her arms.

"Uh, Uni!" Thomas leaned off the door and tried to straighten up, "Good morning!"

"Hmm, good morning," Uni said, before tilting her head quizzically, "Are you feeling alright, Thomas?"

"Y-yeah, just a bit groggy," Thomas responded as he relaxed his posture a little, "I should probably get some coffee to start off."

"Coffee, huh?" Uni muttered, before saying, "I think we still have a coffee machine working in one of the office rooms. I can show you where, if you'd like."

"Are you sure?" Thomas blinked, "I do not wish to intrude."

"It's not that far away, and you're not intruding," Uni frowned, pointing briefly at him, "Just don't expect me to make breakfast or anything."

"Understood," Thomas said with a weak smile.

Uni led Thomas to an office room with a functioning coffee machine, and let Thomas brew a small cup to drink. There wasn't a whole lot of talking during that time, but eventually, Uni insisted on showing Thomas around the Basilicom.

"Really?" Thomas thankfully didn't do a spit take with his coffee, though he was certainly surprised by the offer.

"Well," Uni thought for a moment, "I'm killing some time until later in the afternoon, so I don't mind. It's been a long while since you last visited, so I thought maybe I can show you a few new additions."

"I wouldn't mind," Thomas said quietly, "I don't want to get in the way of you taking a break, though."

Uni sighed, "It's not a bother. Sheesh, you don't have to be like that. I want to show you around."

"Ah, in that case, I must accept," Thomas smiled awkwardly. He took another sip of the coffee, as Uni put her hands on her waist.

"Seriously," Uni grumbled, "If someone is offering their free time, you should probably take it. Especially as it comes from a goddess."

Thomas hummed after finishing his coffee, still feeling awkward around the Candidate. He quickly observed, "This coffee's alright. Lastation roast?"

"PC Continent," Uni replied, "Most of the people who work here prefer that. Not that I drink any of that stuff."

Thomas put the disposable cup away, saying, "Is that so?"

"Well yeah, I wouldn't drink any coffee!" Uni complained, "It tastes awful! Probably."

Thomas laughed a bit, as Uni almost gave her brief experience away, "Probably, huh?"

Uni winced, then muttered, "Yes. Probably. You ready for the tour?"

"I'm good now," Thomas said, feeling a bit better after the caffeine boost, "Lead the way."

* * *

The tour was fairly simple, as Uni and Thomas were just walking around the Basilicom, with Uni occasionally pointing out some new additions, such as a new research lab and a few small meeting rooms. The meeting rooms were sometimes used to test out new games, but for the most part, it was a place for people to relax during some down time.

Uni was actually starting to look a little excited as the two got to the end of the tour. "Oh! There is one last thing I want to show. It's close to our research lab, but at the back," Uni gestured down the hallway they were at.

Thomas hummed a little, not picking up on Uni's sudden interest, "Alright. What kind of room is it? Another lab?"

"You'll see," Uni said simply, "Actually, this is something I got permission to make. Kinda like that secret project that helped us at Lastation."

"Oh! Are you designing more vehicles here?" Thomas asked, "Or maybe something else? A stealth bomber? Some alien UFO tech?"

Thomas laughed softly, and Uni sighed. "No, nothing like that, idiot," Uni said in offense, "Part of me wished it was that, though."

"Real shame," Thomas joked, "I was getting excited over-"

"Just follow me already, sheesh," Uni moved ahead, gesturing her hand to Thomas to follow along.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Uni opened the last door, walking into a smaller hallway. Thomas was becoming a little more curious as he followed Uni through, eventually ending up at another door. This time, however, there was a keypad where Uni would unlock the door. "So this place has some security?" Thomas asked.

"Just the keypad here," Uni said, tapping a few numbers, before unlocking the door and opening to the new area.

It was a fairly open area, with a small resting space. However, the main part was what looked like a shooting range. There were a few lanes for people to shoot, and plenty of different targets to fire at. While there were a few archery targets laid out in the open range, there were a few places set up for targets to spring up and move if set by a control panel at the seating area.

"A shooting range," Thomas summed it all with a shorter description, "I'm guessing this is the real reason you wanted to show me on a tour."

"I did want to show some of the new additions," Uni shrugged, "But yeah, pretty much. I'm happy that Noire gave me permission to build this. A few of our soldiers also have access to this place if they wanted to practice. I'm planning on opening this to more people later."

"You're probably gonna use this to test out any new weapons, huh?" Thomas remarked.

"Of course!" Uni smiled, then crossed her arms and stared right at Thomas, "I had another reason to bring you here, though."

Thomas tilted his head, being quiet in response. Uni cleared her throat, "Ahem. In any case, I was thinking. You don't want to get in the thick of things when the party gets into battle, correct?"

"If it can be helped," Thomas answered, "I'm getting used to fighting, I guess."

"You have shown some skill with a blade, for a newbie anyway," Uni said, "But maybe we can have you try something else. How about ranged combat?"

Thomas blinked a bit, "Ranged combat? I dunno. If I was starting out, I may have done that, but I already have a bunch of blade skills."

Uni nodded, "I understand that. Switching weapons would take some time to get used to, and to get skills for. However, I wouldn't count out using these weapons. Maybe you'll find it more to your liking? I thought maybe you could try it out here for a bit."

"Try it out?" Thomas looked around the room, which was fairly bare-bones, save for the targets and some safety wear at the range.

Uni got into her inventory, "I got a couple of simple weapons you can test out. Hold on." She went over to the lone table in the seating room, and placed a weapons case, slowly opening it to show a few ranged weapons.

Thomas knelt down by the table to look inside, "You prepared all this?"

"This is just help out a party member. Don't read that much into it," Uni said as her eyes looked away.

Thomas had a small smile, "Well, whatever the reason, thank you." Uni flushed as she was once again complimented. She had hoped that since the battle for Lastation ended, the compliments would slow down. They haven't.

"Let's see here," Thomas turned to look at the weapons, "A couple of pistols. Shotgun. Heavy machine gun. What, no rocket launcher?"

Uni glared at Thomas. She may trust him more, but she wasn't going to start his ranged training with such weaponry. Plus, she wasn't going to let him test such a weapon at this range. Although, a heavy machine gun's a fairly powerful weapon too...

"Okay, okay! I was only kidding!" Thomas said lightly, before looking back in the case. Eventually, he stopped at something, "Oh! Um... I haven't seen this in a long while."

"Found something?" Uni knelt down beside Thomas, trying to see what weapon caught his attention.

"Uh, well, it's just an old weapon I recognize," Thomas stated, before pointing it out, "This one. If I remember, it's a... uh... a GP-9 pistol, I think."

"So it is," Uni confirmed, looking at the weapon that looks more antiquated compared to the others in the case, "It is one of the older pistols in Gamindustri, so not surprising you noticed. This used to the be the standard back in the day. A little under-powered nowadays."

Thomas rubbed around his right shoulder, "Ah, well, that would make some sense."

"Let's go with it," Uni stated, closing her case and going over to one of the lanes, "I'll set the weapon over here. When you're ready, just walk over here and give it try."

"Of course," Thomas said as he sat down for a moment, as though he was thinking about a few things. It was most likely whether he could implement pistols into his fighting. Regardless, Thomas soon got up, and walked over to the lane.

As Thomas got out some ear muffs and glasses for protection, Uni set the pistol down on the counter, moving aside and getting her own protection, "Alright, you're good to go! There's a simple target straight ahead, not too far. Have you fired before?"

"Y-yes, I have," Thomas answered.

"Okay then," Uni said, putting her arms behind her back, and moving to the other lane, "I'll be over here if you need my help with anything."

Thomas hummed an affirmative, and slowly moved up to the counter, standing upright and looking out at where he was to shoot. Exhaling a deep breath, he looked down at the old pistol. Despite its age, Uni kept it in good condition. Thomas paused, and glanced in Uni's direction, "This thing still works?"

"All the weapons I have still work," Uni stated, "The GP-9's pretty reliable, anyway."

"Reliable, huh," Thomas muttered, before slowly picking up the pistol, "Alright then. Here we go." Checking to see that it was all loaded, Thomas got into a proper stance, drawing the weapon into his right hand and aiming the gun at the target.

Thomas stared down the gun, slowly drawing his breath while steadying his aim. Despite this, however, his arm was visibly shaking a little, causing his aim to stray. Even Uni could see this, but said nothing as Thomas shuffled again, trying to regain his stance. He finally stabilized his right arm, though it took some time, and looked ready to fire. Uni relaxed and looked back to see how his first shot will go. He had his finger close to the trigger, and was ready to pull.

After a quiet moment, Thomas eased off the trigger, slowly setting the gun down, and casually taking off his protection, leaving the counter behind as he started to walk off.

"Thomas?" Uni took her protection off and followed behind Thomas, "Where are you going?"

"Ah! S-sorry! I just remembered something came up back in Planeptune," Thomas said with a forced smile, "I forgot a few things that I need to attend to."

"Can that wait?" Uni was puzzled by what she was seeing.

"Actually, no. I've been putting it off since this adventure started. I can't forget it now," Thomas bowed deeply, "My apologies. Thanks for showing me around, Uni."

"Uh, no problem, see you around?" Uni waved a bit as Thomas was soon in a rush to leave. Thomas has already bolted out the door before Uni could fully recover from the inital shock.

"The hell was that about?" Uni asked herself as she went back to the counter, reclaiming her pistol. Removing the ammo clip and putting the gun away into her weapons case, she already knew one thing.

Thomas was lying through his teeth.

* * *

 **"Of all things... *sigh*" (Noire)**

* * *

It was near the end of the party's time in Lastation. Everyone was buying supplies and equipment for the next leg of their adventure, and rested as much as they could before heading out. After a trip with Nepgear and the Lowee twins through the Lastation market, Uni returned back to the Basilicom where she and Nepgear sat in one of the break rooms, discussing all that happened on their part of the adventure. This was done while they did maintenance on some of their equipment.

While Nepgear was fawning over Uni's recent gun mods, there was a slow creaking of one of the doors, followed by the door across on the other side of the room also creaking. Assuming that it was Rom and Ram coming in, Uni said, "I thought you girls were heading out with Blanc about now. Did you two forget something?"

The doors stopped creaking, and there was an odd pause, leaving Uni to be more guarded, "Uh, Rom? Ram?" She took this moment to slowly put away her weapons, leaving Nepgear to look a little confused.

"Now!" As if a plan was being hatched, the doors simultaneously opened. The voice belonged to one Uzume Tennouboshi, who sprung out to action, blocking the way out at her end.

At the other door, her co-conspirator, Plutia, sprung in with a little hop, "Boo! Hehe, we got you now!"

Uni blinked at the two, who sprung their trap, and said, unshaken by the dramatics, "Oh, hey you two. What's up?"

Uzume winced for a moment, before going back into her heroic pose, "What's up? We're here for the truth! And we're not letting you get away without it."

"What are you talking about?" Uni quirked an eyebrow at Uzume. Meanwhile, Plutia closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

Uzume jabbed a finger in Uni's direction accusingly, "We are here to demand answers, and-"

"Alright! It was me!" Nepgear, who was distracted for the most part, finally broke, "I did it!"

"You did?" Plutia's eyes widened, seeming in shock, "Why, Neppy Junior, why?"

Nepgear closed her eyes and shook in place, "I couldn't help it! I helped myself to one, but before I knew it, I kept going!"

"Neppy Junior..." Plutia sighed in disappointment with Nepgear's low willpower.

"Uh, Gearsy? What are you talking about?" Uzume was a little perplexed by Nepgear's response.

"I snuck into Uni's hidden stash of chocolate and ate almost all of it," Nepgear shamefully confessed, "I caught a whiff of the smell and it drew me in!"

"Wait, what?" Uni scoffed, "I was making that for N-" She stopped for a millisecond before saying, "It was supposed to remain hidden!"

"I'm sorry, Uni!" Nepgear pouted, "I knew you were proud of it, but it looked and smelled so good! I-if you want, I can help you make a new batch!"

"Th-that's not the point! That was something I was making on my own! Urgh!" Uni threw her hands up, before crossing them in a pout. After a beat, she asked, "Did it taste good?"

"It was so delicious!" Nepgear exclaimed, "I could tell you put a lot of love into it, Uni!"

"Well, guess it wasn't a complete waste," Uni murmured.

"Awww," Plutia said, "Now I wanted to have some chocolate."

"Me too," Uzume said lightly, before shaking her head, "Wait a minute! That's not what we wanted to talk about!"

"It's not?" Plutia asked, being easily distracted by Nepgear's confession.

Uzume frowned at Plutia, "No, it's not."

"What? Oooh, why do I break under the slightest bit of pressure?" Nepgear complained.

Uni looked at Uzume, resigned to the fact that Nepgear knew of her secret hiding spots, "Alright, Uzume. What's the actual reason, then? Since you helped me figure out who ate all those chocolates, I am more inclined to help."

Uzume smiled, "Really? Great! Thanks for confessing, then, Gearsy!" Nepgear whimpered, as Uzume continued, "So Unisy, care to explain what's the deal between Tomsy and Noirsy?"

Uni tilted her head, "You want to know about that? Didn't you ask them?"

"We tried that," Uzume muttered, "I found a few things, but they weren't very talkative."

"Noire was being a meanie," Plutia grumbled.

Uni leaned back in her seat, "Those two just need to work things out. Why are you so interested?"

"Uzume is a big snoop!" Plutia stated simply, much to Uzume's dismay.

Uzume fidgeted back and forth, "No I am not! And you're here too, you know, Plutsy!"

Plutia smiled innocently, admitting, "I am a big snoop, too! I want to know what happened! I don't want to see Noire or Tommy being so grumpy like that."

Uni frowned a bit, before Nepgear once again interrupted, "We should tell them. Everyone else in our party knows enough about it."

Uni continued to lean back in her seat, thinking, as Uzume slowly walked over to the table. Uni then nodded, "Alright..."

Plutia soon followed, coming over to the table, as the two newcomers slowly sat down at the table with Nepgear and Uni.

Uni held a hand up to her head, sighing, "This started with me and Nepgear, unfortunately. If we hadn't been involved, I'm not sure how their first meeting would've gone."

"We can't blame ourselves, Uni," Nepgear assured her.

"I guess," Uni grumbled, "Still, it was us that set the wheels in motion. We thought that they would be fine, or even get along well."

"Get along well?" Uzume asked, "From what I remember, that first meeting ended up driving the wedge between the two."

"It was," Nepgear said, "At least, that was how we saw things afterwards."

Uni breathed a small sigh, "Yeah. Part of me still wonders what happened, but..." She ahemed, "It was years ago, before the Ultradimension crisis. Nepgear and I were going to an event in Lastation one day, and we thought that maybe Thomas could be helpful in Lastation during the time."

"Thomas was doing fairly well in Planeptune," Nepgear added, "And he was helping things along during some of the Planeptune-Lowee talks. So I suggested to Uni that maybe he could help with things between Planeptune and Lastation. Me and Uni do pretty well, but when it comes to work, Noire and Neptune were complete opposites."

"I saw some of the paperwork he was involved in, especially with cleaning up the Gamindustri Graveyard," Uni said, "I found out more about him through Nepgear, and arranged the two to meet."

Uzume laughed a bit, "You make it sound like you two were setting up a date."

Plutia laughed as well, "Hehe, I didn't you two would be so romantic!"

"It was just work-related!" Uni retorted, "Anyway, both me and Nepgear were readying for our event. Nepgear brought Thomas over and I told Noire of our plans."

Plutia figured this was the time to make with the flashback transition noises, much to Uni's confusion.

* * *

From the combined POVs of Nepgear and Uni, here was what I could gather. Prior to Nepgear and Uni leaving for their event, the two met with Thomas and Noire at the Basilicom's main lobby.

Nepgear brought Thomas aside, as they stood by the exit outside. "Me and Uni will be heading out in a bit," Nepgear said, "Unless we get sidetracked by anything, it will probably be a few hours."

Thomas smiled, saying, "Take your time. I am sure we'll be able to cope. Besides, I'm sure there'll be lots of people there asking you many questions or taking autographs or photos or-"

"We're just discussing some of our CPU duties," Nepgear said of the event, "We're talking with some business leaders from around Gamindustri. It's not a big convention or anything exciting."

"I'm sure some of them will be excited to see the CPU candidates of two major nations," Thomas said, "Even if it's not that exciting for you two. In any case, I wish you and Uni have a good time."

"Thank you," Nepgear nodded, "We'll be fine. Please try and get along with Lady Noire."

"I'll certainly try my best," Thomas said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "I honestly don't know what to expect by now, though."

"You'll be fine," Nepgear assured him, "She's not as random as my sister can be at times. She's more focused on her work, much like Lady Blanc."

"I'm still not sure I get along with Lady Blanc for certain, either," Thomas admitted, uncertain how that CPU viewed him.

Nepgear smiled a little, "Try not to worry too much." She then muttered, "Coming from me, that's kinda strange to say."

"Maybe we are both slowly learning this lesson," Thomas said before chuckling, "Eheh, I guess we both will do fine."

Meanwhile, Noire looked over Uni once more, before saying, "Remember to make a good impression of Lastation while you're there. Just because you're hanging out with Nepgear, doesn't mean you're not competing."

"I know that," Uni said, "I'll see what businesses are more interested. They may be asking me questions, but I'll find out more about them."

"Good to hear, Uni," Noire nodded, "It's always important to know what our people want."

"It'll be just a few hours, though," Uni noted, "So don't expect any miracles."

"Do what you can," Noire said, placing her hands on her hips, "I still expect good things from my sister."

"No pressure at all, huh?" Uni said quietly, mainly to herself, though Noire was able to pick up what she said.

Noire smiled, putting a hand over her chest, "A little pressure won't hurt, Uni. It is important to maintain composure when working as CPUs."

"I understand," Uni said, "You'll be fine while I'm out, I'm sure."

"Naturally," Noire was fairly certain of it, "This will give me a chance to figure out more about the citizens of Planeptune. And from a former Lastation citizen too. Plus, it's not Neptune trying to drive me crazy this time. Can't believe she's gone to Leanbox this time..."

"Missing her already, I see," Uni said dryly.

"What? A-as if!" Noire huffed, before shaking her head, "W-whatever. Enjoy your little date with Nepgear, okay Uni?"

"It's not a date," Uni retaliated, as it was her turn to huff a little.

No, I don't know why Uni mentioned this part of the conversation to Uzume and Plutia. In either case, Nepgear and Uni said their goodbyes, leaving Noire and Thomas to their meeting.

* * *

Returning from the flashback, Uzume cut in, "So, how was the event you two went to? Was it cool?"

"Oo, yeah!" Plutia followed on the thought, "When I talk to business people, they would have some nice things for me to have! Tree boots! No wait... tree... tributes!"

"You get tributes?" Uzume blinked at Plutia.

"Hehe, I'm very popular!" Plutia said happily, "I like when I get new things."

"A-anyway," Nepgear responded before we found out more about that, "The event we went to wasn't that eventful. I mean, we did go out to this really delicious food stand where they served some nice sweet potatoes. Hehe, you should've seen Uni's face when she saw-"

"Th-that's not what we're talking about!" Uni interrupted Nepgear, "Sheesh. We weren't really sure what exactly happened, but things were already pretty heated when we returned to the Basilicom."

"Right," Nepgear winced, "We heard some arguing from one of the gaming rooms, and-"

Plutia saw the transition happening, but was too slow to make the sounds as we return to the flashback. Sorry Plutia.

* * *

Nepgear and Uni opened the door to the gaming room, only to see a mess of controllers and hardware littering the place. It seemed that many were thrown about during whatever argument occurred.

Between the gaming couch, and the big monitor that showed a game had 'lost connection', the Lastation CPU held a strange microphone-like controller. Instead of aiming at the screen, however, she was shaking it furiously at Thomas, who was standing a little away from her.

"Do you know how expensive it will be to replace this?" Noire was infuriated, as the controller looked broken on closer inspection, "Don't you know how to use motion controls?"

"I tried to warn you that I haven't done any of that stuff!" Thomas explained, but he too was becoming angry, "The only time I had to use a different controller was just to play some maracas!"

"That explains all the shaking," Noire noted, "But how in the world could you break such a thing?"

"Maybe Lastation should properly test these things before releasing them to the public!" Thomas complained.

"We did!" Noire exclaimed.

"Not enough, clearly!" Thomas shot back.

"I-it doesn't matter!" Noire insisted, "You're the one who broke it! You should pay for it!"

"What? No way!" Thomas exclaimed, "I'm not paying for your shoddy equipment!"

"Shoddy? How dare you!" Noire fumed, "This is all your fault! Take some responsibility!"

"You've been saying that ever since I got here!" Thomas jabbed a finger accusingly at Noire, "Always telling me how to play any game around here or how I should set things up in Planeptune."

"I am only giving you advice," Noire crossed her arms, after putting down the broken controller in with the rest of the junk, "You're not a very good servant if you can't even follow orders."

"I'm not your bloody secretary! You can't just order me around!" Thomas sneered, "Sheesh, you act worse than a backseat gamer!"

"If you weren't so rusty, you wouldn't be needing advice! You obviously need help!" Noire stomped one foot while matching Thomas' point with an accusing finger of her own.

"Oh, and I suppose you know everything?" Thomas dropped his finger to simply glare at the Lastation goddess.

"Hmmph! I'm the one who does everything! More than any goddess, and certainly more than you!" Noire huffed, turning her head away looking up.

Thomas snapped hearing this, "Of all the... of all the goddesses I met, you! You had to be such a... such an egotistical jerk!" He wasn't really good with throwing insults, but it was clear he was pretty mad.

"What? I am not! Take that back!" Noire turned back to meet Thomas' glare, offended by the charge.

Thomas seethed, "No. What are you going to do? Make me?"

"Seriously? Urgh, why do you have to be such a stubborn idiot?" Noire narrowed her eyes at the instigation.

"Why do **you** have to be such a condescending critic?" Thomas responded, as the conversation deteriorated futher with more admittedly lame insults.

"Why are you such an arrogant jackass?"

"Pretentious brat."

"Ungrateful moron."

"Showboating shrew."

"Clueless casual!"

"Bragging blowhard!"

"Bonehead!"

"Tyrant!"

"Creep!"

"Wretch!"

After a few more bad one-word insults thrown at each other, Noire and Thomas stared down each other with gritted teeth. Both looked ready to get into fisticuffs, or degenerate into throwing things at each other. Considering all the litter, it wasn't like the place was already a mess. As Nepgear and Uni watched, confounded by the verbal tiff, Thomas suddenly slumped his shoulders, before straightening and turning towards the exit to storm off. Apparently, he had seen the two Candidates enter earlier, but was too busy getting angry with Noire to say anything else about it. At this point, though, he was done.

"Wait, where are you going? Get back here!" Noire ordered, though even she knew that wasn't going to accomplish anything.

Thomas walked past the two Candidates and stormed off, presumably to leave the Basilicom altogether. Nepgear winced, looking to Uni. The two shared an awkward look, before Uni sighed, "We'll talk later. Thanks for helping today, Nepgear."

"We will. Thanks for helping too, Uni," Nepgear said quietly, before bowing out.

* * *

"They got angry with each other over a game?" Plutia tilted her head.

"Wow. It must be one of those party games," Uzume shivered a bit, "Or maybe even an old co-op game. You know, the ones that you always hear break up friendships."

Plutia's eyes widened, "Oh yeah! I know of those! But wait, Noire and Tommy weren't friends to start."

"Exactly! It's so powerful, the game can even stop friendships from starting!" Uzume was a bit carried away with her explanation, holding up a fist for dramatics.

"So scary!" Plutia said as she clasped her hands together, getting into Uzume's act.

"They probably would be terrible playing cooperatively," Nepgear muttered, but then shook her head, "Wait, no! It wasn't just that!"

Uni sighed, "Well, at first, we thought it was just a bad play session. We even got Thomas to pay for the broken controller. So, next tiime, we thought we would avoid game sessions. That didn't stop them from arguing."

"It would boil over into every other meeting," Nepgear twiddled her fingers, "Eventually, we just gave up."

"Oh," Uzume was brought out of her dramatics, "And they're still angry at each other?"

"I don't know," Nepgear shook her head, "I can tell both of them expressed regret at some point, but-"

"They're both too damn stubborn," Uni grumbled her distaste, "Neither wanted to give up anything to the other. Honestly, Nepgear, were we ever like this when we competed?"

"Uhhh, anyway," Nepgear sweatdropped, choosing to not answer that question, "It's unfortunate, because those two do share some similarities, especially when it comes to wanting to make new friends."

"Oh?" Plutia tilted her head, "I know that Noire, at least the one I know, gets pretty lonely. Is it the same here?"

"Yeah, Noire's still got friendship issues," Uni muttered, "She's working on that."

"Thomas is sort of similar," Nepgear pondered, "Though it's more like he's working on opening up in general. He spent much of his life in isolation, or working."

"I kind of understand," Uzume said with a downcast expression, as though recalling something, "It's something that could take some adjusting to." She then laughed a bit, "Really, I'd be ecstatic to meet up with new people. I certainly was happy to see when Nepsy and Gearsy showed up that one day."

"Uh, didn't you and Neptune almost try to kill each other in that first meeting?" Nepgear winced, recalling the episode, "I'd say that's a worse first impression."

"Oh, right! Almost forgot that part!" Uzume flushed, "Well, it worked out eventually! It's cool."

"I had to yell out loud for the both of you to calm down," Nepgear said.

"Maybe you and I should've done it with Thomas and Noire's first argument," Uni grumbled, "Would've saved a lot of later grief."

"Why can't we have good first meetings?" Plutia complained, before stating, "Maybe if we had Thomas fall on my Noire when he met this Noire, it would've been better? It worked out really well when I first met Neppy!"

"Falling on people isn't a good, or **safe,** first impression either!" Uni exclaimed, much to Plutia's amusement.

While the four continued with how their meetings first panned out not so well with each other, there was someone listening in on the conversation.

From the door where Plutia had entered, there was a small peek from our Basilicom spy. Going through the door, we see that our spy was none other than the CPU of the place, Noire, who wanted to check in on Uni before the day was done. Hearing the conversation, Noire slowly closed the door and cursed softly under her breath.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, in another hallway, someone else was listening in to the conversation from the door Uzume had entered from. Closing the door quietly, the person turned away to walk away once more, leaving the Basilicom. Oh come on, Thomas was also listening in? These two coincidences are so coincidental! Well, regardless, it seemed both of them have been listening in. How would this affect these two people in the future?

Well, let's find out in just a little bit.

* * *

The sun was starting to set in Lastation, going down over the mountains out west. While this was going on, Thomas was close to the docks, near the clearing where he was practicing magic. He stood at a walkway that was heading to the docks, only to rest his arms at a nearby small wall. Instead of looking towards the sea, Thomas turned his attention back to Lastation proper. The city itself was not too far away, but it allowed him to get a nice overall view of the city.

Thomas slumped onto the small wall, resting himself and letting his mind drift for a while. While that was happening, the sun was slowly coming down, and the night sky was starting to show through the firewall still gripping the dimension. He could make out a few of the stars in the sky, but it wasn't easy, given the electricity still crackling along the firewall.

Noire seemed to have followed him, or at least knew he would be here, as she slowly moved to rest her arms on the wall, though still keeping some distance from Thomas. Even as the two became aware of each other's presence, neither were inclined to say anything right away. There was a long pause between the former Planeptune worker and the Lastation CPU, all while the sun slowly vanished in the distance.

After a while, the two decided to finally turn their heads to face each other, both ready to say something, only to realize the other was going to speak. Both quickly retreated, looking back to the city while mentally cursing their awkwardness.

Finally, Noire broke the silence, remarking, "I was expecting you to be fishing at the docks."

Thomas hummed quietly, before saying, "I usually come here around this time to see the sun set on the city. Least, when I used to live here."

"Ah," Noire said quietly, as the two share another moment of silence. By now, night was rapidly falling on Lastation. On cue, the night lighting in Lastation and around the clearing turned on. The two kept looking out at the city, viewing the rapid change from day to night.

"Still as bright as ever," Thomas remarked, "The city's grown quite a bit too, since that time."

"Yeah," Noire agreed quietly. Being the ruler of the nation, she would know of her much her city had grown over time. She smiled weakly, remembering how much smaller her city was back when she started. So much had changed since then.

There was another moment of silence, as Noire closed her eyes, changing her focus. She cleared her throat, and spoke out, "I came to offer a truce."

Another pause, as Thomas raised his eyebrows. He slowly asked, somewhat suspicious, "Is that so?"

"Eh?" Noire dropped her guard briefly, before regaining her composure, "Y-yeah. Anyway, I am not really certain of why you need to put yourself in danger. However, Uni has some trust in you, and the others seem to like you well enough."

Thomas glanced over at Noire, not really saying anything. He waited for Noire to finish her train of thought. Noire caught this, and coughed, "Uhm, in any case, it is important, f-for the sake of the party, and to save Gamindustri, we both will have to put aside our differences. We are both capable of a degree of professionalism, correct?" Noire continued on even before Thomas could answer, "We can't afford to be stubborn."

The last sentence made Thomas come to a conclusion, and put it bluntly, "You overheard that conversation, didn't you?"

"N-no I didn't!" Noire quickly got defensive, "I mean, I have no idea what you are talking about."

Thomas was not so convinced. However, he soon sighed, "It doesn't matter. This is all my fault. I was so keen on trying to prove something that I let it get to me. I should've apologized."

"Hold on, you-" Noire cut herself off as her mind got jumbled by the response. "Well, maybe, but, no wait! I wasn't exactly doing great either."

"No, this was my fault," Thomas insisted, turning back to stare at the city. He had a lot going through his mind, and was not sure how to put it all down into words, or if Noire would allow him to.

Much to his surprise, Noire shook her head, "N-no, this is just as much my own fault." Her eyes trailed down, feeling rather somber, "Even before we met, I already judged who you were. Really, I was judging myself. So much so that I got angry."

"Hm?" Thomas tilted his head a bit, not quite sure of what he just heard from the CPU. Regardless, he was interested in what Noire had to say next.

Noire kept going, saying, "When I heard that you were formerly of Lastation, I let that get the better of me. If you had left Lastation for any reason, I felt that, maybe that would have something to do with me. Was I not a good enough goddess? What did I do wrong? Either way, I had something to prove. I guess to the both of us..."

Thomas snorted, trying not to laugh too much. Noire caught this, and winced, "What? What's so funny?" Uh oh, is Thomas being tickled again? Ram?

Thankfully, this was not the case. Thomas shook his head repeatedly, "Nono, it's just that, of all the people I expect to hear doubt themselves, you wouldn't be on that list."

Noire winced, realizing she said too much. She generally would keep such doubts to herself, at least in the public sphere. Lately, she has been more open about this to her sister, and oddly enough to Neptune. Still, to even admit these doubts openly... Noire pondered on whether she was showing weakness here.

"Honestly, I did leave Lastation for a reason," Thomas said quietly. He slumped his head on top of the wall, staring out at the city, "Seeing a city run this well, with many people doing everything they can to improve, even for those struggling to make ends meet, I just wasn't sure."

Thomas rubbed the back of his neck, as he still rested his chin on the wall, "I arrived here long ago with very little. I was quite the fish out of water when I came here. When I decided to start repaying my debt to the goddesses, I... I wasn't sure if I could do anything here. I figured, if I was to start, it would be somewhere that needed the help."

Noire deflated a little, as the two were feeling fairly depressed. Thomas spoke again, this time with a derisive laugh, "How much use would I be anyway? A nation of hard workers led by the goddess who only does everything? I was just some washed-up wanderer, too afraid to lift a weapon. I am a coward, after all..."

Thomas muttered afterwards, "I ran away from Lastation, as I did from Planeptune. Always running off."

Noire blinked, raising her head to look back at the saddened Thomas, "Ran from Planeptune, huh? I thought our insults were just that..." She then blinked, "Wait, did you really think I was-"

Thomas shook his head, "Although, some of those insults were interesting. 'Angsty airhead' seems almost fitting for me."

Noire laughed weakly. The two were terrible at insulting one another. At least, they both felt that way. "But no, I am a coward. I admit that," Thomas continued, "You saw what happened during the Ultradimension crisis."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Noire said what came to mind at this point.

Thomas sighed, "In Planeptune, everyone was turning against CPUs. It was the work of that old CPU from Plutia's dimension, but all the same, it was disheartening. People you were working with, neighbors, maybe even friends... suddenly becoming hostile. I wasn't sure how, but I was among a few in the Basilicom that stayed loyal."

"It was getting bad for the other nations too," Noire noted in an aside.

Thomas hummed, "Mm. It got really bad. Around that time, I was growing in confidence, thinking I could stay behind the scenes and somehow stop things from getting out of hand, or slow things down. It was foolish of me to even think that. I was a servant, a glorified bureaucrat. I couldn't talk anyone down." He laughed, "Haha, even tried to confront their leader."

"You tried to - were you insane?" Noire scoffed at this, "There was no way to talk her into being nice."

"I wasn't able to get remotely close without being scared off," Thomas grumbled, "And I refused to fight my own colleagues. I felt helpless. I ran out of options, and our shares were dwindling fast. My last resort was going out on my own and even trying to do **one quest.** Get enough courage to fight some of the bigger monsters... but no, I was too scared, even then. I couldn't do anything. Not even a single monster hunting quest." Thomas fumed, "Some servant I turned out to be. Tried so much to cover for a goddess, but it still ended in disaster."

Thomas clasped his hands in front of him, feeling more and more frustrated with himself. "So I lied," Thomas wrapped up his long-winded explanation, "After the end of the crisis, when Neptune swept in with her group to save us and things were returning to normal, I decided to leave. I gave her the line that she needed to do more work at home, basically whatever Histoire said to get her to work. That's the official line. Really, though... I fled, again..."

There was another odd pause, as Thomas heaved a sigh of relief, able to vent for so long to someone about his issue. His self-doubt. "It's why I have to keep going now," Thomas muttered, "I can't stop or flee again..."

"Geez, you're so dramatic," mused Noire, briefly acting dismissive.

"Oh?" Thomas woke up a bit from his state, glancing over at Noire.

"You think you were the only one dealing with what was going on?" Noire argued, lifting a finger up as though she was making a point. "A lot of us were trying to hold out against what was happening. You could've helped out with us instead of simply trying to do things by yourself."

Thomas grumbled, protesting, "You're one to talk..."

"Uh, I know," Noire said quietly, as the two shared another silent moment.

Thomas sighed once more, before saying, "Didn't you try to cover for Neptune, too, back then?"

"How do you - I mean, I don't know what you're talking about," Noire caught herself, but it was already too late.

"You weren't really hard to miss," Thomas said with a faint smile, "I was surprised, actually. An opportune goddess would've claimed those shares for herself, not for her supposed rival."

Noire hesitated, but eased a little soon after. Thomas added, "That was quite admirable. I can see why so many look up to you."

"It, it was still a losing effort, you know," Noire admitted, "I, too, was unable to stop the threat."

Thomas sighed softly, "I suppose we did need the others... after all..."

The two looked down, as though they both came to some conclusion.

"We both screwed up, didn't we?" Thomas murmured.

Noire hummed a bit in response, before standing back from the wall. The two were defeated by their own doubts in one way or another, and despite the similarities, both of them were too stubborn to have help from the other. There was something to prove, after all.

"My offer still stands, by the way."

"Offer?" Thomas lifted his head, turning back to see Noire standing akimbo.

Noire pointed out towards him, nearly poking his nose. Thomas moved a bit back as Noire exclaimed, "Didn't you forget why I came here to start? If we're going to move forward and end this threat, we have to do this together. We can't be trying to compete with one another right now. So... I'd appreciate it if-"

In a surprise move, Thomas reached out with his right hand, grabbing Noire's hand that was pointed at him. Clasping his hands together with Noire's hand, he soon reforms the grip into a single handshake. In a rush, Thomas shook the hand, "Y-yes, yes, I accept! I'd be happy to be working with another goddess, especially one as talented as-uh?"

Noire's face twitched, and with a visible strain, she asked, "Thomas? Would you please let go? Otherwise, I would have to smite you."

"Eep," Thomas quietly mouthed this as he let go, springing back and turning back to the wall in embarrassment. He may have been too eager to accept a truce.

Noire rolled her eyes at this silly display. "No, Thomas. Get back here, let me show you."

"What-" This time it was Noire who took some initiative, grabbing Thomas' hand back.

"You're supposed to be all professional," Noire stated, "If that's the case, you have to be more composed than that. Come on, straighten up."

Thomas blinked in confusion, but at Noire's insistence, he turned back, straightening his pose. "Better," Noire said, "But you need to shake hands more firmly than that. A firm handshake is meant to show mutual respect."

"Ah, of course," Thomas flushed, "S-sorry, I was in such a rush to accept."

"Your first impressions were terrible, Thomas," Noire said, looking right at him as she attempted to be assertive, "But, I guess we can work on that."

"Eheh, th-thanks," Thomas responded, "Although... didn't you tell me to let go earlier?"

Noire narrowed her eyes, "Do you want to remind me of that again?"

Thomas laughed, albeit nervously, as the two had a much better handshake to signal their truce. How long would this truce hold out? Either way, both had one shared feeling.

Relief.


	56. ACT IV: Seabound

**ACT IV: LEANBOX, BY LAND, SEA, AND AIR**

* * *

"With the party rested up, and Lastation secure, we're now ready to get to Leanbox!" Neptune stated aloud, keeping us up to date. She was saying this in one of the break rooms at Lastation's Basilicom. In the background, the Lowee twins were watching a television program. It was at this point that Noire stepped beside Neptune.

"Why are you saying this out loud? Oh, whatever," Noire shook her head, not wanting to bother, "We **would** be ready if the ship captain was up and ready."

"Oh hey Noire!" Neptune chirped, before looking puzzled, "Wait, someone's not up yet? Even Plutie's up this morning!"

"Only because IF and Compa woke you girls up," Noire crossed her arms, "And don't even pretend you're not up to enjoy the breakfast servings here."

Neptune's puzzlement shifted into a cheeky smile, "I don't have to pretend to like breakfast!"

Noire sighed, "Honestly..." She shifted the topic back to the ship captain, "Anyway, that captain's had a couple of parties at the docks on some other boats, under the pretense of celebrating our victory. No doubt he's oversleeping again."

"Well, what's the plan then, Nowa~?" Neptune asked, "We're not taking the boat and leaving him behind, are we?"

"Of course not! It's one of his ships," Noire noted, "The guy styles himself as an admiral, and collects all sorts of ships. I don't know why, maybe it's a hobby. In any case, I'm gonna have to go search through his fleet until I find him. Besides, we need the guy to captain the ship. I'm not driving it."

"Aww, I wanted to steer the ship for a bit," Neptune said.

"Somehow, I don't want you behind the wheel," Noire said, "Regardless, I'll go find the captain. You and the others can head to the ship. The rest of the ship's crew should already be there."

"Got it!" Neptune said happily, "Will be ready for the little cruise to Leanbox."

Noire turned around, going over to the couch Rom and Ram were watching TV from. Ram saw Noire coming over and turned to smile at her, "Hey Nowaaa~! Don't worry! We both heard you and Neptune. We'll be meeting with Blanc a little later."

"Uh-huh!" Rom turned as well, "We'll be there. Good luck finding Mister Captain."

Noire smiled wryly, "Thanks. Hopefully I won't have to search through his entire fleet."

"Sure you don't need help looking for him?" Neptune popped in with a question.

"No, no, it's best that I deal with this," Noire shook her head, "I'm gonna go tell some of the others here at the Basilicom before heading off."

"Alright, if you say so," Neptune said with a shrug, "Don't get too lost trying to find the guy. Wouldn't want to start our own search party."

"It's not gonna be **that** bad, geez," Noire rolled her eyes, "You try not to take too long getting there, too."

Neptune grinned, "No prob! It's the boat with the mermaid Noire. Can't miss it!"

Noire sighed, "Yes... seriously, of all the boats to take, I had to choose that one." Noire muttered to herself as she waved a goodbye to the twins and started to head off.

"Well, gonna check on Nepgear, see if she's aware of the whole thing," Neptune said, "Will see you two later!"

"Bye Lady Noire! Lady Neptune!" Rom waved happily, as Ram waved a bit without being too excited. Eventually, the two goddesses left Rom and Ram to sick back and watch the TV.

After a beat of the two watching the TV, Rom asked her sister, "Do you think we should go find Blanc and get to the ship now?"

"We can wait a bit," Ram leaned back in her seat, "I kinda wanna see this episode before we go."

"I do too," Rom said happily, "We haven't seen this show in a while."

"I think it's just re-runs right now," Ram said, "But I wanna see it too! I'm sure the group won't mind a super small delay!"

"Uh-huh!" Rom agreed to this, as the two watched the TV. The television was tuned to one of Planeptune's channels, which at the time was airing some cartoons. The next cartoon, which the Lowee twins decided to watch, was a long-running anime featuring samurai and ninjas fighting a constant war against each other, as well as dealing with some demons. This show was one small reason among many to inspire the two to choose their class for the 4GO beta.

As they were watching the show just after the intro had finished, Ram observed, "We saw this episode before, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Rom admitted, but shrugged it off, "But I wanna see the fight scene again."

"I know, right?" Ram grinned, "I love the fights in this show! There's a big demonic dragon in this episode, and he's all like **RAWR!"** She raised her arms to emphasize the roar.

"He's really scary," Rom shivered, "But I like how the ninja and samurai have to work together to stop it. Excitement!"

The two happily bounced in their seats. Despite having seen this episode before, they were nonetheless excited for the show. The show built up slowly to its climatic showdown against the demonic dragon. However, before that, there were some story scenes with the heroes and villains.

For this episode, the villains were the demons, plotting to use the dragon to do their own bidding. Naturally, the villains were also plotting against each other. During one of these scenes, a minor demon briefly monologues about sabotaging the demon queen's scheme to make her look bad.

"She really shouldn't say her plans out loud," Rom said softly, "Not very smart."

"The bad guys can be such dummies," Ram scoffed, listening to the demon's speech, before she started to pick up on something. "Uh, Rom? Doesn't she sound... uhm..."

"I think she sounds alright, for a baddie," Rom answered, "Anything the matter, Ram?"

Ram wasn't sure how to respond next, as she listened to the latest bit of dialogue.

"Mwahaha!" The demon on the TV cackled, "The demon queen will have a little surprise waiting for her! Once I find the ancient scroll, I'll be able to turn the dragon at just the right time. Then, in the confusion, I can enact the next part of my plan. That'll teach everyone to ignore **me,** the true leader of the underworld! **"** The voice acting out this corny dialogue had a certain flair, a certain familiar tone to it, that Ram could swear she heard of before.

Rom, on the other hand, was oblivious to it, though she wondered aloud, "I wonder if the voice actress does other roles."

"I dunno," Ram shrugged a bit, "Though I feel like I heard that voice before. Eh, whatevs, I'm sure it's no biggie."

Perhaps it was for the best, as Ram was getting close to finding out one of Noire's latest secrets. The Lastation CPU had been trying to land some VA work, in addition to her other hobby pursuits. So far, she's landed a few minor roles, but this was her biggest role to date. How long could Noire keep this a secret? Will Ram or someone like Neptune find out? Will Noire topple the demon queen? Does Noire get less sleep than Vert at this rate doing all this work?

For now, the Lowee twins moved on, as the show shifted to another scene.

* * *

Noire actually didn't take too long to find the captain, who was snoring on one of the cruise ships in his collection at the docks. Waking him up with a bucket of cold water after a few attempts to wake him normally, Noire eventually dragged the 'Admiral' with her to the LSS Noirina. To her surprise, she was earlier than everyone else. The first arrival from the party was her little sister, who met with Noire by the ship's entry ramp.

"You found him already?" Uni asked with genuine surprise in her tone.

"He was on the first ship I passed," Noire answered, "Kinda hard not to notice the streamers and party decorations still littering it."

Uni smiled a bit, "I suppose that would give it away. Will he be alright for this voyage?"

"He'll be fine," Noire said simply, "Besides, this is one of his favorite ships. He insisted on being on board for the voyage." Noire then sighed, "At least the crew for this ship is more professional."

Uni nodded, "Here's hoping the voyage will be smooth."

"Right," Noire crossed her arms, thinking, "We'll have to keep our guards up as we approach Leanbox. If not those robots, then whatever's on the open seas."

"We could have some of us on lookout duty to help the crew out," Uni suggested, as the two noticed a few figures making their way over to the ship.

"Good idea, Uni," Noire agreed, "At least one of us should be keeping an eye out along with the crew during the voyage."

"Heeeeey!" The figure in the distance made her voice heard, waving an arm as she ran closer. Rushing over to meet with the two was Uzume, who was feeling energetic. Hoping in, she grinned to the two, "I thought I was going to be the first one to show up! Hey Unisy! Noirsy!"

"Hey Uzume!" Uni said happily, "You look raring to go."

Uzume held a fist up, "Of course! I appreciate taking a break and all, but seeing that reminder in the sky constantly has made me a bit eager to see it end, you know?"

Noire glanced up at the sky, which still had some of the electrical discharges of the firewall going on. "Don't blame you at all," Uni remarked, "I just hope the people in Leanbox are okay."

"Yeah," Uzume said with a weak smile, "I do too. Let's hurry it up and get going, then!"

"We'll leave as soon as everyone's on board," Noire stated, looking away to see more figures showing up, almost on cue. Neptune and Nepgear were taking a casual walk, with Blanc quietly following behind.

Behind them were the Lowee twins, along with IF and Compa, as they appeared to be trying to get Plutia to pick up the pace. The sleepy-eyed CPU looked to be struggling to stay up, yawning a few times before finally making it to the ship.

"Boo," Plutia pouted, "Why did we have to leave so early in the morning?"

"It's better we leave now when there's plenty of sun," IF noted, "You can sleep on the ship."

"Yeah, Plutia, we don't wanna leave ya back at the Basilicom!" Ram exclaimed, "You'd probably be angry or something if we left without you." Rom shivered a bit at the thought.

"Hehe, I know," Plutia said, "I'm happy you brought me along. Still..." She yawned, "I hope there's a nice sleepy spot on the ship."

Noire cleared her throat a bit as she overheard the conversation, and spoke up, "Hey everyone, good to see you here. Plutia? You'll be glad to know the A-... captain, the captain heard you were coming along, and has set up a hammock for you to rest in on deck."

"He did?" Plutia smiled, "Yay! Thank you~!"

Noire flushed a bit, "It wasn't me who did it! But I'll be sure to pass the message along to the captain."

"Be sure to say it as sweetly as Plutie did right there," Neptune teased, "Just to show how much she appreciates it!"

Plutia woke up a little, and giggled, "Hehe, yeah! That's a great idea, Neppy! Please make sure the captain gets the message!"

"Wh-what?" Noire blinked at the two, before shaking her head emphatically, "N-no, that's embarrassing. Besides, it's better if you deliver that kind of message yourself, Plutia."

"Aww, that's too bad," Neptune said in disappointment, "I think Noire would've been able to pull it off."

"Disappointed," Plutia agreed, borrowing from Rom's tendency to state her current emotion.

Before an irritated Noire could respond, Neptune smiled to Plutia, "Come on, Plutie. Let's go find that hammock."

"O-kay!" Plutia complied, and began following Neptune.

Neptune waved a bit to the others before leaving the ramp and heading onto the ship's deck, helping Plutia look around for wherever this hammock was.

Nepgear, who was just watching the conversation quietly, spoke to Uni afterwards, "Say, Uni, I'm going to go check the engines below deck. Would you like to join me?"

"Ah, sorry Nepgear, maybe later," Uni replied, "I actually am going to stay up on lookout for the first leg of the voyage. You're free to take a look below, though."

"Alright, that's okay," Nepgear said happily, "I'll try not to get in the way of the crew while they're working."

"Good! Also, please don't touch the engines," Uni said, "The ship kinda needs them to complete this voyage."

IF cut in, as she decided to defend Nepgear here, "Is that warning really necessary?"

Compa added to the defense, "Yeah, it's not like Ge-Ge would dismantle the engines, leaving the ship drifting at sea."

There was a beat, as the group turned their heads slowly to look at Nepgear.

Feeling such a gaze, the CPU Candidate fidgeted, "Wh-what? Of course I wouldn't do that! I do have some self-control!"

Another beat, before Blanc looked to Noire, asking, "Do you know where we can relax on ship? I assume we have some quarters set up? Unless everyone is getting a hammock?"

"No, we have quarters, just like the rest of the crew," Noire responded, "I can show you to them once everyone's ready to go."

"That would be greatly appreciated," Blanc said politely with a small bow.

Rom smiled over at Ram, "Hey, Ram. This boat's pretty big and has a lot of could play a little with this!" From her inventory, she brought out a volleyball.

"Good thinking, Rom!" Ram grinned, "It'll keep us from getting super bored on this trip."

Rom nodded, "Uh-huh!"

"Oh! You girls are gonna play some volleyball? Sounds great!"

With so many people coming and going, it was hard to notice the last arrival, Thomas, who was casually walking up the ramp before noticing the volleyball.

"Yep! We're super smart to think ahead!" Ram said, as if this was her plan the whole time.

Rom giggled, not minding her sister taking the credit. She was just happy to be able to play for a bit later. "Good morning, Tom!" Rom said happily, "Do you want to join us?"

"I wouldn't mind," Thomas answered, before laughing weakly, "I can't say I'm very good at it, though. A little later, though. I like to explore and get a feel of what's around the ship, first."

Seeing that everyone in the party has shown up, Uzume spoke up, "Looks like everyone's made it! So, what's the game plan from here?"

IF nodded, folding her arms, "I spoke with Histoire before getting here. The ship is set to go south until we get close to the Leanbox coast. Unfortunately, the firewall barriers are quite strong around the main city, so we'll have to start further away. We need to get onto the continent first before finding out more."

Noire pointed outward, giving an idea of their direction, "We'll be heading towards the Hyrarule Plateau. We're likely to encounter one firewall barrier while at sea, so we'll have to stop the ship momentarily to deal with that. Of course, once we do that, I'm certain the robots will notice."

IF sighed, "Which is why we'll try to get as close to land as possible before bringing down a barrier. The Plateau may not be the easiest place for the ship, but it's better than directly heading to the city and meeting who knows what. The ship's sturdy, but I'd like us not to test that."

"Once we make land, the crew will find safety while we scout out," Noire said.

"Thankfully, the weather looks to be good out there for the next few days. Should be a smooth voyage!" Thomas added happily, surprising everyone as he clapped his hands together.

"Uh, right!" Noire blinked, "A-anyway, we should all probably stop cluttering the ramp and actually get on board."

"Sounds good!" Thomas exclaimed cheerfully. The group finally moved off the ramp and went their separate ways, for the most part. Thomas moved along the side of the ship rather briskly, while Nepgear quickly moved off to check on the engines.

Rom and Ram dashed off to find a spot to set up where they would play, with Blanc watching them run off until she could no longer see them. She then turned her gaze back to IF and Compa, noticing their confused reaction to something.

"Someone must've had some really good coffee this morning," IF said to her friend. Compa hummed a bit, thinking about whether this person has gotten over their restlessness.

"I assume you're talking about Tom?" Blanc chimed, "He does seem to have a spring in his step."

"Yeah, I don't usually see him like this," Uni tilted her head a bit, "Odd."

Noire blinked, and shook her head, murmuring to herself, "Geez, was it really because of that truce? Honestly..." She then quickly said aloud, "Well, if he's in a good mood, that's fine. Anyway, Blanc, follow me. I'll show you where we'll be sleeping."

"Yeah, sure," Blanc shrugged, "Lead the way." With that, Blanc followed Noire, as the others started to move on. IF and Compa wandered off on their own to explore the ship, while Uni decided to look for a vantage point.

This left Uzume, who soon realized she was left alone. The CPU shook in place, complaining, "Where did everyone go? The scene wasn't that long, was it? Did I space out? Wait! What am I, chopped shiitake? Urgh, Uzume no like."

* * *

Thomas walked along the deck of the LSS Noirina, looking out towards the sea as he held onto the railing. Although he was still having this feeling of restlessness, it didn't matter that much to him. The calm sea breeze greatly relaxed him, as it reminded him of the times he spent at sea. Although they were trying times, he was the most comfortable with weather such as this.

Making some peace with Noire had also lightened his mood, more than likely. Even though he was still wary of what lay ahead, Thomas looked forward to what would happen next. He was getting closer to the end of this journey. The sooner this journey could end, he thought, the sooner his restlessness...

His train of thought was cut off as stopped to hear the sounds of snoring. At first, he wondered if some crew member was slacking off before the ship got to moving, but turned from the railing to see a hammock hung up far behind him. Further up, the captain's deck was overlooking the rest of the ship. For now, Thomas' attention focused on the figure sleeping inside.

He recognized Plutia, who already dozed off in the comfortable hammock by her lonesome. Neptune had likely moved on to check out the rest of the ship. In any case, Thomas let out a small laugh. "Of course she'd do that already," Thomas mused quietly to himself. He saw that Plutia looked to be enjoying her sleep, and was about to move along when a thought crossed his mind.

Earlier in the adventure, Plutia and several others in the party teased him while he was trying to rest, poking his sides with an audible "Poke!" Now, here was a chance to get a little revenge. He paused, raising a finger up to his eye level, and gave it some more thought. It was a small bit of revenge, even just to poke a sleeping CPU, but he thought he might be able to get away with it.

As he looked back to the sleeping Plutia, his mind quickly made up, and he shook his head. In the end, he just couldn't do it. While he could attribute that to cowardliness, in truth he felt bad to do such a small thing. Plutia looked too peaceful, and the sight was too adorable for him to want to break with a small poke. There was also the concern of what would happen afterwards, as this was Plutia we're talking about here. It might've ended like if one were poking a bee hive.

While this was happening, the speakers aboard the ship crackled with some noise. The captain, or 'Admiral' as he considered himself, recovered enough to get to his position. From his place at the captain's deck, he spoke into his device to speak to his crew.

After some more noise, which caused the sleepy Plutia to stir a little, he spoke, "I just got word that everyone's accounted for. Crew of the LSS Noirina, this is your Admiral speaking. Our mission is to transport this group to Leanbox. This mission is of vital importance, not only to us but to the well-being of Leanbox and all of Gamindustri. I expect everyone to be doing their upmost to keep this ship going, and to be on their best behavior."

Inside the captain's deck, the Admiral cleared his throat, likely still recovering from his late-night antics. "Ahem, in any case, may fortune smile upon us on this journey. Our goddesses, and our people, depend on all of us. Raise anchor and prepare for departure."

The Admiral finished, turning off the speakers and waited on his crew to get everything ready. He took this moment to fix his cap, all while standing by the wheel.

Meanwhile, Plutia slowly sat up, muttering, "Aww, why did it have to be so loud?" Hmm, perhaps this was due to the fact that the speakers were just above where the hammock was placed. Oops.

Plutia noticed this and sighed, "I hope he won't be using that too much... hmm?" After lamenting this, she saw Thomas nearby, looking at her with a happy smile on his face, "Oh? Tommy?"

Thomas kept the smile, as he leaned over, with his raised finger, and gave Plutia's nose a small touch. At this, Thomas said in an extremely happy tone...

"Poke!"

Following this, Thomas went back to the side railing, and moved on, leaving a confused Plutia behind.

Plutia raised a hand to tap her nose, just to make sure it wasn't stolen or anything. It wasn't, thankfully. She needed that nose.

"Tommy's weird." Plutia observed afterwards.


	57. ACT IV: Calling Your Bluff

**("Real life is pulling me away presently, but this story's still going! Enjoy this latest chapter!" - An author with little to say this time around. Woo!)**

* * *

The LSS Noirina had finally departed, leaving the Lastation Docks and heading south. While there was little fanfare seeing the ship depart, there were a couple of people waving and shouting. Some of these people were family members wishing a safe voyage for the crew on board. Others were people who found out about the goddesses heading to Leanbox on this ship, and joined in the well wishes. Before long, however, the ship moved into the distance, being but a small blip to those watching from the Lastation coast.

Uni found a good spot to sit down and rest on the ship, taking the role of a lookout for the time being. The seas were rather calm, and Uni could only make out a firewall barrier way out ahead. It would be a long while before the ship could reach the barrier, let alone make it to their destination near the Hyrarule Plateau. For now, though, Uni kept watch, standing at the top above the captain's deck, getting some binoculars from her inventory, just in case she spotted something.

While that was going on, and the captain kept the ship moving ahead, Rom and Ram were setting up something on the main deck, with Nepgear coming over to watch curiously. Nepgear didn't stay too long to look at the engines, and went back out to see Rom and Ram fiddling with their inventory. Meanwhile, Plutia went back to sleeping in the hammock, while Thomas just wandered around, enjoying the scenery.

Uzume Tennouboshi, who was left behind by everyone else in the party early on, went inside the superstructure at the ship's stern. It was there where Noire led Blanc, and later Neptune, to checking out where they would be staying. A couple of rooms were set aside for the goddesses to rest during the voyage, with Thomas assigned to a separate room. Afterwards, Noire, Blanc and Neptune made their way to the messroom. It was here that Uzume finally caught up, heading inside.

It was here that Uzume finally took time to look around. This adventure had given her some time to see and do things she wasn't able to do during her time as Planeptune's lone CPU. Admittedly, she never really boarded a naval ship. Perhaps being able to fly as a goddess negated the need for her to ride on one of these things.

In any case, Uzume's curiosity got the better of her, as she ignored the others and went around. She paused to look outside the windows at the open sea, before seeing an area where some of the crew were gathered to get some food from the galley. Uzume wandered over, keeping some distance before finally moving up close.

"Looks like Uzume's in her own dream world again," Neptune mused, as a moment prior, she tried waving her over. Neptune was enjoying some of the pudding that the ship crew brought along, and even brought some of the cups for her, Blanc, and Noire to enjoy. She was hoping for Uzume to join in, but Uzume was busy being introduced to the galley nearby. Perhaps it was the smell of some of the food being cooked that drew her in...

"Uh, Neptune? Aren't you going to deal?" From across the table, Blanc waited patiently, but nonetheless was a little annoyed by Neptune getting distracted. On the table, in the midst of all the pudding cups Neptune brought in, was a desk of cards. It seemed the CPUs agreed to play a card game while they were here.

Seated between the two goddesses, Noire was slowly stirring a spoon in one of the pudding cups. Eventually, Neptune turned, still distracted, "Oops! My bad. Uhhh, Koi-Koi!"

Noire raised her eyebrows at Neptune's response. Blanc frowned, "Uh, Neptune? You don't call that out at the beginning, first off. Also, I didn't think we were playing that."

"Weren't we going to play poker, anyway?" Noire asked, as she looked over the deck. They certainly were not hanafuda cards, as this was a deck that Noire brought along to play solitaire when bored. Er, I mean, in the event she got people to play with her during this trip!

"I thought we were," Blanc remarked, "Though I wouldn't mind if we switched. I do have my own deck of hanafuda cards we can play."

Neptune laughed, "Haha, sorry. I was hoping to bring in Uzume so we could make this a four-player game."

Noire shook her head, "Well, in any case, let's just stick to the original game, shall we? Although... are you sure about having to gamble? Are we going to actually be gambling credits or-"

"Nah, I got a much better idea!" Neptune grinned, as she sat down at the table and starting setting all the pudding cups into three even stacks, "Annnnnnnd, there!"

Noire and Blanc took turns blinking at the suggestion. Eventually, Blanc simply shrugged, "Yeah, sure. Just don't cry when we take away all the pudding, Neptune."

"Nep?" Neptune said quizzically, "Oh, nono, see, now that pudding is involved, I just **have** to win. It's inevitable. Fate, even!"

"Unfortunately for the both of you," Noire said with a bit of confidence, "I am well-prepared for this card game. I'm not going to lose to either of you."

"So that's why Noire made the suggestion," Blanc said calmly, "Pfft. You two done talking out your asses? Or are we going to actually start this?"

"You're on," Noire answered in the simplest of terms.

"Ha, famous last words," Neptune teased, her mind already thinking ahead, visualizing the victory celebration. Please don't drool over the cards, Neptune.

So it began! A 3-player poker battle between 3 competitive CPUs for all the pudding! A battle where one bad hand can still win if she could bluff her way through. It was intense! It was ferocious!

It wasn't going anywhere. Ahem. To better explain, allow me to explain how each player was going at this.

Noire had chosen poker for a reason, as she had prepared mentally for this. She watched a local poker tournament on the television, or at least kept it in the background while tending to her work. She studied some of the techniques many of Lastation's best could muster. As such, she emulated what she saw as the 'poker face', trying to play it cool and not showing any emotion while looking at her cards.

It was one thing to emulate this in front of a mirror. It was another to maintain that. During one turn, for instance, Noire would remain stoic for a good one or two seconds before she saw the card she drew. Her reaction was strained, but she couldn't help but hum happily when she drew a good card, or wince whenever she drew poorly. Neptune and Blanc were able to pick up on the cues, leading to Noire struggling to get any momentum.

Blanc was not doing too well, either. Unlike Noire who tried to emulate the 'poker face', Blanc was far more natural. This was actually great practice for her, as she long wanted to maintain her composure. She would do her best not to get angry or over-confident.

Much like Noire, however, she too would flinch, showing some emotion and making a small whine or chuckle depending on what she drew. Both Noire and Blanc noticed each other's reactions, while not recognizing they were also giving away their own.

Neptune, on the other hand, did not stop showing her reaction. In fact, she almost relished in bluffing. She would feign disappointment when she drew a good card, or act cheerfully when she drew a poor one. While she was playing to win, she did enjoy seeing the other two get flustered over her acting.

Unfortunately, she did this way too often, so much so that Noire and Blanc caught on to when Neptune had a good hand or not. It didn't matter how much of a tease she was, they knew that she was bluffing. Compared to Noire and Blanc who gave away what was in their mind, however subtly, Neptune was bluffing all the time, rather overtly.

As a result, it all came down to luck. Unfortunately, Neptune's luck was not helping her in this instance, as it would grow into a long stalemate. No one ever really won a big hand. Even if one had a chance, their actions gave it away before they could capitalize.

Uzume was done having a tour of the galley, grabbing a tray and filling it up with food before walking over to the table where the three were still playing, and with little to show for it. "Hey guys! Mind if I sit here?"

Blanc nodded slowly, as Uzume happily sat down across from Noire and clapped her hands. "Alright!" Uzume clapped, "Let's eat!" Not even looking at the game, Uzume's attention turned to her tray, which she stacked mainly with chili dogs. However, in the midst of happily munching the first chili dog, she did notice something, and turned to see Neptune.

Gulping down her latest bite, she then asked, "Uh, Nepsy? What's with the shades? And the black hat?"

Neptune, despite being unaware of why her bluffs weren't working, tried changing up her strategy. She, too, must've watched some poker events and saw some of the players wearing things to help with their poker face. This didn't stop her from bluffing and overacting, however.

"Oh, wearing this because I'm just that awesome," Neptune answered with a cheeky grin.

"I dunno, you still look ridiculous," Blanc went in with a simple insult.

Neptune sighed softly, "Jealousy is not fitting for that cute face of yours, Blanny."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Blanc retorted, "You haven't gotten ahead so far now, either."

"None of us have," Noire noted, before muttering, "Didn't expect the competition to be this fierce."

"Oh! Before I forget, I thought maybe Noire can join in our little betting pool!" Neptune went onto another topic, as this game was likely to keep going.

"What's this betting pool about, exactly?" Noire asked, curious.

Neptune decided to recap, since it's been several chapters since it was brought up, "You know that tome we picked up? Well, the one with the info on how to bring down those barriers?"

Noire nodded slowly. Neptune continued, "Sooo, we're trying to guess its origin story. 100 credit bet."

Noire finally spoke, "Uni told me about the tome being found at LAN Castle. Is that correct?"

"So the story goes," Blanc added, "From what has been said, Tom came across this after his being rescued by the former Planeptune goddess."

Neptune raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Oh? Blanc? You make it sound like you don't believe that story. You think Tommy was not telling the truth?"

"No, I wouldn't say that," Blanc shook her head, "He could very well be telling us exactly what he remembered. Still, it is a rather fantastical story."

"It involves the goddesses," Neptune said simply, "Of course it is!"

Blanc hummed, "Ah well, pay it no mind. Considering that some of us have bet on time-travel being involved in the creation of that tome, I guess anything is possible."

"And aliens!" Neptune noted, "My sister made that bet that it could be them who made the tome!"

"Ah, right, of course. Aliens." Blanc said, feeling rather deflated. For a betting pool, people have wagered some odd choices.

Noire blinked at the two, while Uzume turned back to her tray, enjoying a couple of pastries. Noire then looked to Blanc, "Your sisters didn't take part in this, did they?"

"No, I'm not having them gamble, even on a silly pool like this," Blanc remarked, "It was awkward enough when Pocket Monstrocities added a gambling mini-game in one of their latest additions."

"So, Noire, wanna give it a shot?" Neptune asked anyway, "We could ask Uni later about this pool if you want her take."

"I don't mind whether Uni participates," Noire shrugged, before tapping her fingers on the table. While this was going on, their poker game continued on the side. Because they weren't trying to outdo each other on making a better poker face or bluffing, it was going rather slowly. Noire pushed a pudding can into the center as she raised a bet there. This was actually all that's been done since the conversation about the tome started. "Give me some time to think about it," Noire said.

"That's fine," Blanc said, looking down at the cards in her hand, "We've had some strange bets already. I doubt your answer will be any stranger." She placed another cup of pudding into the center, "Call."

"I have a couple of bets on me being the one, traveling back in time to write this or something," Neptune shrugged, "It has some of my wonderful penmanship skills."

"I'd rather it be someone more familiar with your writing that did it, like Nepgear," Blanc remarked, "I can't imagine you sitting down to write a book, let along a tome."

Noire thought about this, as Neptune looked down at her cards. Neptune feigned sadness, "You just don't have any faith in me, do you Blanc?"

"Not in writing a tome, no," Blanc retorted, "Even outside of that, I put more trust in the reliable people around you. Nepgear, Histoire, IF, Compa... you have enough people to cover your own ass."

"I can't help it if I'm so popular," Neptune said matter-of-factly.

"Huh, it's only a matter of time before these people get sick of your laziness," Blanc said in a confrontational tone, "And when they do, they'll look for another goddess to look up to."

"Sure, sure," Neptune said dismissively, as she thought about whether to call or raise.

Blanc paused a second, then said with a small smile, "I suppose I would be talking nonsense. It's not like someone left your nation recently due to any reason. Someone who had some experience there and could be of benefit to another nation. Especially someone who is on this ship right now..."

Noire was actually the first to react, looking puzzled, "Are you talking about Thomas?"

Uzume paused, slowing down as she was sipping down a drink. Letting go of the straw, Uzume asked, "What about Tomsy?"

Neptune remained strangely quiet, as Blanc answered the other two, "Remember that despite working together here, we're all competing in Gamindustri. As for Tom, wouldn't you agree that resonance of his could be useful?"

"Now that you mention it," Noire pondered aloud, "That resonance could come in handy in a pinch. Although, I'm sure there are other people in Gamindustri who could amplify a goddess' Share Energy like Thomas, right?"

"Of course," Blanc nodded, "This does make it interesting to note, though. We'll be looking for people with this kind of resonance from now on, if we want to have a little edge."

Blanc then smiled wider, "Ah, but... we have one in our party right now, who not only has resonance, but has some experience with helping out a goddess. He may be helping out the Azure Coast, but he would a great asset to any CPU nation that hires him. Wouldn't you agree, Neptune?"

Neptune was looking at her cards for the time, though it was hard to tell with the silly shades she had on. Finally, she set them down, and added a cup to the center, "Okay, I'm calling!"

"Neptune?" Uzume said softly, wondering if Neptune wasn't paying attention. Blanc's face twinged a bit, as she was hoping for a reaction of some sort to what she was saying. Noire, meanwhile, went back into her own thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, right! Blanc, I get what you're saying, but there's a few problems with that," Neptune state simply.

"Oh?" Blanc raised her eyebrows, as it looked like she'll get a reaction after all.

Neptune hummed, "Hmm, if I remembered anything from the last few chapters, it's that Tommy isn't a big fan of the Lowee weather. Like, at all. That's going to be a tough sell."

"I can manage," Blanc said.

"Oh, also!" Neptune smiled happily, "I'm pretty sure if he's going to go back to any CPU nation, it'll be Planeptune."

"Uh, he left Planeptune," Blanc said dryly, "I doubt he'll want to go back."

"Oh, that? That's just something he and Histy can work out! Besides," Neptune paused, thinking back, "I think he might be into me. Oh, **and** he is a big fan of Nepgear. I'm sure we'll be able to work out some things and he'll be back home in good ol' Planeptune."

Blanc grimaced, "Please. He'll be much better off helping out in Lowee. Despite the weather, he clearly was in awe of what we have there. He gets along alright with Rom and Ram, and the two have been teaching him how to use magic. Also, he and I both like reading. Why, he even gave me a critique of one of my old novels."

"Dunno what that has to do with being a goddess," Neptune said teasingly, "Though I'm sure he appreciated the rebuttal you gave him. Lemme guess, a hammer to the face?"

Blanc winced, to which Neptune quickly caught on. "Thought so," Neptune teased, "Blanc, you wouldn't take criticism too well. Tommy criticized me back in Planeptune, even back when I was... er, working really hard! You think he'll stay in Lowee long enough if you keep using that hammer?"

Blanc frowned, "It's fine. I'll work on that. It'll be a learning experience."

"It won't happen," Neptune said as she leaned back in her seat, "Tommy's more likely to go back to Planeptune than risk a stint in Lowee."

"I wouldn't count on that," Blanc said, as the two CPUs seemed sure of their own stances.

"What makes you think he'll go back to either?" Noire finally cut in, "Did either of you even ask for what he wanted?"

"Er, well..." Blanc hesitated. Neptune stayed quiet, though this time she wasn't too sure, as she tapped her chin in thought.

Noire sighed, "Figures. If either of you plan on having him join, or rejoin, your nation, you might want to know what he exactly wants."

"I'm not even sure if he knows the answer to that," Neptune said with a small laugh, "Ha, other than having peace again."

"No matter," Noire said while idly flipping through her cards, "If Thomas was to go to any CPU nation, it'd be Lastation."

Blanc snorted derisively at that observation, "Ha! I didn't know you were being a joker, Noire. Fits with the card game we got going."

Neptune followed with a laugh of her own, "Haha, that's funny, Noire. It works no matter if you were joking **or** being serious!"

Noire grimaced while Blanc was trying to hold back her laugh. After another chortle, Blanc spoke, "Seriously, the chance of him going back to Lastation is pretty low given how... you know..."

"Yeah!" Neptune nodded with Blanc, "You know."

Noire flustered, "What do you mean by 'you know'? Oh, whatever! I'll have you two know that while you were goofing off, eating pudding or doing literary critiques, I went over to talk with Thomas, and we laid out a truce!"

It was here that Uzume froze in the midst of eating the last chili dog on her plate, to coincide with the bit of silence that followed. Both Neptune and Blanc's faces looked briefly surprised. Neptune's shades couldn't cover her eyes entirely as they widened. This was quite a shock to the others, with Uzume audibly gulping down her last bite.

Noire was so thrown off by the silence that she only snapped back to reality once she heard Uzume's gulp. "Y-y-yeah! I did! I took some initiative and went over to have a chat. We discussed a few things and acted professionally and everything!"

Uzume was actually the first to speak, expressing some relief, "I'm so glad to hear that! I was feeling a little worried seeing the two of you arguing and insulting each other. Way to go, Noirsy!"

Noire blinked at Uzume's genuine relief, flushing a bit, "U-uh, thanks, Uzume."

Blanc hummed softly as the information finally settled in her mind, "I see. Well, I am happy to hear the two of you have made up, Noire."

"Yeah!" Neptune smiled a bit, "Of course, it is one thing to patch things up after an argument."

"It's another to say he'll now be more likely to go to Lastation," Blanc cut in, before looking to Neptune, "So, how long do you think it will be before those two insult one another again?"

"By the time we're done in Leanbox, I would imagine, there'll be at least one bit of insulting," Neptune predicted quickly, as the two nodded in agreement with each other.

Noire huffed, "How dare you! I can be civil! I'm a very civil goddess! The most civil! Just you watch, we'll be the most professional party members during the rest of this trip!"

"Press the action button to doubt," Neptune joked. Blanc idly pretended to tap a 'button' on the table.

"Well I think it's great," Uzume chimed in, "As for where Tomsy will go, I dunno. He's got to follow his own heart and find that out on his own, right? Whether that takes him to Planeptune, Lowee, Lastation, or Leanbox... I can't say, but we'll all be supportive, right?"

"Of course!" Neptune nodded to Uzume, "I mean, I still think he'll end up coming back to Planeptune, but no matter what happens, we'll support the guy."

Blanc flinched at something Uzume said, "Leanbox? Do you think... do you think of all the places, he would actually pick Vert's nation?"

Noire blinked a few times at this, "Now that you mention it, he did insist on going this way first instead of going to the Azure Coast next. He was also looking very happy to be going on this trip."

Both Noire and Blanc looked at each other, and Blanc said, "You don't think-"

Noire tried to be dismissive, "That? No... no, that can't be possible. No way."

Uzume sweatdropped, and finally stood up, "You three are strange. Oh well, don't let me get in the way of this silly battle in the console wars." She laughed, "Haha, alright, I'm off. I'll be up on deck if you all need me. Take it easy."

"Sure thing, Uzume!" Neptune chirped, waving a little goodbye as Uzume turned to put away the tray and garbage before heading out. She then looked back at the others, laughing, "We shouldn't worry so much. I mean, this is... this is Vert we're talking about."

Noire and Blanc stared at Neptune, as if they are both saying 'yeah, we know.' After a beat, Noire shook her head, "Oh, Uzume is right. It shouldn't matter where he chooses to go. For all we know, he'll be sticking around the Azure Coast."

Blanc mused quietly, "Who are we to even say he'll even stay in Hyper Dimension?" Recalling her conversation with Uzume, she tilted her head as a small gesture towards where Uzume left, "We're not the only goddesses, after all."

"Uzume?" Noire was a little puzzled, "Oh! Right, the Zero Dimension."

"We also got Plutie from Ultradimension tagging along, and hey, there's a few more goddesses there and holy moly that's a load of options for our dense co-protag," Neptune admitted.

"I don't really understand all this, honestly, but whatever," Noire said, shaking her head at her two opponents. Her eyes widened, and she smiled, putting her cards down, "Oh look! Royal flush. I think I might have won this round."

"What?" Blanc was so busy with the conversation that she nearly forgot about the game. She put down her cards, which were nowhere close to a good hand, "Crap. Nothing."

Neptune pouted, "Aww, I was going to bluff on this one but I forgot to." She laid down two pairs, which obviously wasn't enough to beat Noire.

"It would've been more obvious it was a bluff, then," Blanc finally told her, "Your bluffs are terrible, Neptune. Not even those silly shades are helping, either."

"That means I'm in the lead, naturally," Noire grinned, getting confident, "Perhaps luck is turning around for me, after all."

"We've only begun to fight! I'm not giving up until I get all the pudding back!" Neptune proclaimed. Noire and Blanc sighed a little, but soon their competitive nature got them to continue the war, getting back to the poker game. Noire may have the edge currently, but was likely to lose it once more. This game may never end!

"Could you at least take off those stupid shades?" Blanc complained.

"What? No way! I look great in these!" Neptune argued, "If you want them off, you'll have to win them-"

 **"This is not that kind of poker game!"** Noire exclaimed, putting the kibosh on that idea.

* * *

Uzume left the messroom, heading back towards the outside, but not before passing by some of the rooms where the party was expecting to rest. In one of the rooms, someone was already using the place to rest.

"Ohhhh, I feel like I already went around the world in less than a day. Can we stop now?"

Inside the room, IF leaned against the wall, looking over one of the bunks. There, the murmurings of Compa could be heard.

"We just started, Compa," IF sighed, kneeling down beside the nurse, who had her face down right into her pillow.

"I know," Compa murmured, "I thought I was going to be fine too, when we got on board. Then the ship moved... urgh..."

IF looked up at the ceiling as she felt frustrated. One of the main reasons for taking this ship was for the non-CPU members to travel along, just in case the CPUs needed help while crossing the seas. The CPUs might be able to carry the humans across, had there been no barrier or other obstacle in the way. This was not the case.

It was hoped that perhaps it would've been a smoother voyage. Both IF and Compa have had instances where they needed Purple Heart to ferry them across. Sometimes, the flight would make one of the humans feel nauseous. Other times, Purple Heart would get exhausted carrying a person that far. Suffice to say, traveling by CPU was not really sought after by the two girls.

Compa murmured some more, as she tried to cope with her seasickness. IF held a hand out to comfort her friend with a gentle pat on her shoulders, "Do you need me to get anything for you?"

Compa grumbled a moment, before IF quickly responded, "Alright alright, I'll go see if the crew have some medicine to help. You just rest easy, okay?"

Compa nodded, turning her head to look sheepishly at her friend, "Thanks, Iffy. I just need to get used to the rocking... oh, the rocking..."

"Relax, Compa," IF patted Compa on the head, "Just hang in there. We'll beat your seasickness in no time. I hope."

Compa pouted, before she urped and held her hand to her face, holding back her nausea as best she could.

IF stopped patting Compa, getting up, "I'd better go before any accidents happen to my coat. Eheh..." With that, IF set off on her adventure to save Compa from her seasickness!

Sometimes, it's the small quests that are the most important. Everyone wish Compa well! Hopefully, she will feel better before long, maybe even before the poker game has a clear winner! We shall see what unfolds in the next chapter!


	58. ACT IV: Tranquil Voyage

**("Longest delay ever. I blame the humidity and my laziness. My apologies for the wait. I do want to keep going, but I guess so many things get in the way. Oh well. Enjoy this latest addition!" - A sleepy author.)**

* * *

Uzume, having eaten quite a bit at the galley earlier, slowly walked out of the superstructure of the LSS Noirina, and went along the deck. She could hear a few people walking in the background, likely crew members moving about, but for the moment she was by herself, taking the time to look out into the sea.

Her memory of her earlier, 'first' life had been a bit difficult to sort through. But, from what she could remember, she didn't really travel on the seas that often, if at all. She was struggling to keep her own nation afloat during her time as the lone CPU. The most sightseeing she had was her grassroots campaign. Not much sea travel there.

As she felt the air breeze through her hair, she made sure that her tails didn't flow right into her face. After a flip of her hair, she leaned against the side rail and looked out into the water. To her surprise, there were a few creatures swimming alongside the ship briefly. A group of dolphins had traveled beside the ship on the way, and, upon noticing a few onlookers, decided to say hello with a few fancy flips out of the water.

Aside from Uzume, a pair of male NPC crew members stopped what they were doing to look over the side.

"Well, would you look at that?" the first man, a more gruff person compared to the skinny guy next to him, "Didn't think we'd get anyone following."

The skinny guy looked over, blinking a few times at the group, before saying, "I don't know. There hasn't been much naval movement since the firewall dropped. Maybe they're happy to see anyone at this rate?"

"True," the gruff man said while idly scratching his beard, "These barriers must be affecting the oceans too. These dolphins might not be able to get to other areas."

The skinny man waved a bit to one of the dolphins that recently flipped up, then turned to his colleague, "Let's hope whatever the goddesses do to bring those barriers down will open the oceans back up. For both us and the fish."

"Dolphins are not fish, you know," the gruff man corrected him.

"I-I know that! You know what I meant!" the thin man hesitated. He then changed topic, "By the way, we should probably get back to engine work."

"Yeah, yeah," the gruff man muttered as the two soon turned around and headed back, presumably below deck.

Uzume was quietly observing the conversation, but was rather entranced watching the dolphins. A part of her was desperately trying not to be in complete awe at the adorable aquatic creatures swimming alongside the big ship, but she couldn't help it. Her heart melted at the sight, and she laid her head on her arms, leaning on the rail and smiling happily.

Her thoughts went back to what the two guys were saying. Her smile slowly faded the more she thought about it. Like many people becoming isolated by these barriers, these creatures may have family or homes in place they could not get to. Sealed away from their loved ones...

Uzume grimaced, shaking her head as she leaned back up from the rail, and looked over towards Leanbox. Even early in this very adventure, she remembered the feeling of being isolated from everyone, however briefly. That feeling of loneliness, amplified more by the cutting of one's own shares, could bring down any CPU to her knees. She knew that feeling all too well in the Zero Dimension, at a time when she couldn't feel any shares from anyone...

She frowned, as this wasn't just about the CPUs. The people that rely on them, those who don't, and even monsters are being forced into isolation by this firewall and the invaders who they still don't know much about. Uzume raised a fist slowly, trying to strike out what she thought was a cool, heroic pose.

"This I promise," Uzume said aloud, "For all that you've done to bring me back. I promise to save you from this fate. The people, the CPUs, the monsters, those really cute dolphins. All of you. Uzume Tennouboshi will see to it! I... we all need that freedom..."

She felt something in her throat, as she was starting to get choked up. Uzume flustered afterwards, bringing her fist up to her eyes to rub, "Geez, Uzume, get yourself together." She scrambled to try and compose herself, looking around quickly hoping no one saw this display of emotion. It was a little embarrassing.

Thankfully for her, no one was close enough to see, save for maybe the dolphins. Wiping her eyes once more, she looked down to see the dolphins finally head off away from the ship.

"Keep this between you and me, alright?" Uzume said quietly.

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **The Admiral, er, captain, has his icon pop up, as a man decked in white naval officer garb sitting in his chair. The dialogue says, "I don't know how any of us could keep up with some of these active goddesses."**

* * *

Uzume had resumed her walk, heading towards the bow of the ship. Passing a sleeping Plutia, she eventually came across where Rom and Ram were setting up something earlier. She stopped moving once she saw what was now set up.

A large volleyball net was put up in front of the captain's deck, though it was low enough so it wouldn't be in the ship's view. The Admiral, er, captain, did look down from his position out of curiosity.

Rom and Ram were each on opposite sides of the court, as they thought about how to start their volleyball playing. Ram held onto the ball, briefly looking pensive, before saying aloud, "Alright! Let's play doubles! Rom, you take Nepgear. Tom, you're on my team."

"Eh?" Thomas blinked, as he was just sitting down for a break, only to be drafted.

"Really?" Nepgear, who was watching the twins for some time, was also confused by the sudden proclamation. "I thought you and Rom would like to play on the same team."

"I don't mind teaming up with miss Nepgear," Rom said simply, fidgeting a little as she looked doe-eyed at her chosen team partner.

Ram grinned a little, "Nah, we're doing this for balance. Besides, you two wouldn't stand a chance against the both of us."

Rom giggled, "Yeah! No way."

Thomas sweatdropped, "Well, I did agree to play. Sure, I'm fine with the teams. Ram, I may not be the best jumper, though."

"That's fine," Ram nodded, "Think of this as, uh, training! Yep! Time to get into shape, slacker!"

"But I am in shape..." Thomas complained quietly. He knew Ram probably meant that he needed to work on his weaknesses, such as his jumping and his physical strength. Still, he couldn't help but be a little insulted.

"Be more in shape!" Ram exclaimed, using both her hands to pass the ball right at Thomas. Thomas was quick enough to react and catch it, though he was surprised by Ram's quick pass. "Come on, let's play! First to ten points wins?"

"Ten's good," Rom agreed.

Thomas, meanwhile, shrugged to Nepgear, "I guess we're going to be opponents for this one. Uh, please go easy on me."

Nepgear blinked, "Goodness, are you sure you should be the one asking that?" Apparently, she wasn't too sure if she'll be any good, either.

"I guess we're going to learn from the masters," Thomas muttered, in reference to the eager Lowee twins.

So began the match, with Thomas and Ram on one side, and Nepgear and Rom on the other. Uzume quietly moved to a spot by the net, sitting back to watch. She waved politely to Nepgear, then the others as soon as they noticed she was there. While Uzume wouldn't mind joining in a match to showcase her awesome, cool skills, she was going to sit this one out. She wanted to see how this match would play out, anyway.

Leaning back and laying her hands down for support, Uzume watched as Thomas started with the first serve.

The match itself was rather relaxed to start, compared to the tense but mostly silly atmosphere that was at the poker game down below. At the early going, everyone was trying to lob simple passes or shots over the net. It was more for people to get used to the basics of doing some volleyball. Ram was right in that the Lowee twins were far more comfortable playing this game. Because of this, everyone was shooting the ball over the net from afar. Perhaps it was wise to make it a ten-point game. This may take a while... oh crap, it's like the poker game all over again, nooooooo!

Uzume raised an eyebrow, presumably at my bit of worry. My worries started to subside after the initial few points. While Thomas and Nepgear continued with simple passes and lobs, Ram became more aggressive. Much to everyone else's surprise, except maybe Ram, Rom started to match her sister's aggression. The twins were playing close to the net, each trying to outdo the other with their shooting.

To be more precise, Thomas and Nepgear would feed their shots to their partner, who would then fire it off at the opposite end of the court, making the other team scramble to get it. Usually that task would, again, fall to Thomas or Nepgear. The two would end up doing more exercise than the twins, running and diving to keep the ball in play.

The score was pretty even at five each, by which point the two were trying to catch their breath. Though Thomas was not terribly out of shape, he was starting to grow exhausted. Even in comparison to Nepgear, who was not faring too great, Thomas simply did not have as much stamina.

It all culminated in the next serve. After the initial friendly lobs, Nepgear scrambled to get a shot off in between Ram and Thomas. Thomas managed to get a dive in to save it from touching the ground; however, he ended up lobbing it fairly high over the net, setting up an easy shot for the other team. Even the ship captain took a moment to see the ball meet close to eye-level before it made its descent. "I got it!" Rom exclaimed, calling for the shot. Ram and Thomas braced themselves, positioning evenly around their section.

Despite being one of the smallest members of the party, Rom jumped fairly high, "Boing~!" She then spiked the ball right over the net-

And right at Thomas' noggin. The sound of the ball bouncing off his head sounded quite louder than it should. Clearly this was a powerful shot! That, or the sound was just to signal the K-O, as Thomas fell onto his back. The ball bounced on the ground nearby, scoring the point for Rom.

"Oh!" Rom quickly worried upon seeing the downed opponent, "Tom! Are you alright? S-sorry!"

Ram grimaced, "Okay, time! Hey, Tom? You okay? Conscious? ... Alive?"

"Oww, yeah, a bit stung but alright," Thomas said quietly, putting a hand up to his forehead, "Don't worry, Rom. I'm alright." He winced as he tried to get up, "Hold on, gonna wait to heal here."

"I can help!" Rom quickly suggested to help, being a magic user, "I'll heal you!"

Unfortunately, she was not the only one thought of helping out. Ram, taking it upon herself as Tom's self-proclaimed mentor, decided to be serious with her magic healing for a change, "I'll do it!"

"Hold on, we just need a simple heal. I can do this," Nepgear cut in as well. However, while the three were vocal about their assistance, Uzume was also getting her healing spell ready.

"Nono, it's not necessary!" Thomas tried quickly to respond, but he was already too late. The four cast their healing spells at Thomas at about the same time. Normally, in this universe anyway, people would actually take turns casting their spells. In their rush to be the first to help out, the four magic users overdid it, saturating Thomas' forehead in healing magic.

The result was Thomas feeling better initially, but then becoming a little disoriented before realizing. Staring outwards, Thomas said in a muffled tone, "Too muph! Am num..."

"Oops!" Nepgear was first to notice this mistake, "I think for now, we should probably call off this game."

"Mercee rool," Thomas added, trying to get some feeling back on his face.

"What? How lame," Ram pouted. She still wanted to win, after all, "We were only down by one."

Uzume sweatdropped, feeling bad for having screwed up. She then said to Ram, "You're also down a person."

"That's what I meant," Ram said with a shrug. Whether she was seriously contemplating a one versus two match could up for debate. Regardless, Thomas would have to sit out.

"I think I'm going to stop as well," Nepgear said with a quiet sigh, "I'm getting a little tired, myself."

"Really, you too, Nepgear?" Ram sounded a bit disappointed. She then shrugged, "Oh well! Hey Rom, we can keep going one-on-one."

"Uh, sure!" Rom said with a small smile, "I'll try not to spike a ball down on your face."

"Hah, I'd like to see you try!" Ram considered that a challenge.

Nepgear panicked a little, "Can you two at least have a more relaxed game?"

* * *

After a small recovery time, Thomas and Nepgear sat down by Uzume to rest. For Thomas, it was to wait for the numbness to eventually fade, but it was also to relax from the exhausting game.

Finally able to speak properly again, Thomas said, viewing the Lowee twins playing volleyball, "Whether in fighting, in gaming, or even sport, you goddesses are awfully strong."

"I think Rom and Ram simply take their playing very seriously," Nepgear said while leaning back, holding her knees together. "Ram wasn't kidding about how good she and Rom were."

"Lesson learned, painfully," Thomas winced, "Remind me next time I end up challenging either to a sport."

Nepgear nodded. Uzume reacted to this with a small smile, "I dunno, Tomsy. Nothing wrong with a big, overwhelming challenge to overcome, right? Keeps you on your toes."

"Maybe you'd like to give it a try," Thomas muttered, "Maybe a one versus the both of them."

Uzume laughed, "Haha, nah, I'm only teasing. That must have been quite a workout."

"Aye," Thomas replied with a small sigh, to which Uzume smirked and tried to hold back another laugh. Thomas eventually raised an eyebrow in response to this.

"My bad," Uzume said lightly. Nepgear tilted her head at Uzume. Orange Heart soon folded her hands together, lifting her head up to look at the sky, "I was wondering how long until you would say something like a sailor. 'Aye.'"

Thomas rolled his eyes briefly, "I suppose so." He then suggested, "I could swear a lot like one if you'd like."

"Ah, that's not needed!" Uzume shook her head, amused still, "Wouldn't want the twins nearby to hear any of that."

After taking a moment to think about it, Thomas asked, "You think they never heard such language before, especially from Lady Blanc?"

Uzume hummed softly, before saying, "Maybe, but please, not in front of Gearsy, either."

"Ah," Thomas nodded slowly, as the two shared a brief smile.

"Goodness, why is that the reason you would agree?" Nepgear complained meekly.

"Swearing is a bad habit anyway," Thomas said, not quite answering Nepgear directly.

Uzume shrugged a little, before moving the topic back a little, "But really, Tomsy, for all that talk of wandering the coast, the water affinity, your love for fishing... holy crap!" Thomas grimaced at Uzume for using such words, before Uzume asked, "Are you really a pirate? That's pretty cool."

"I'm not a pirate," Thomas said dully.

"Aww, too bad," Uzume shook her head, "I really wanted to have a pirate on my team. Would be frickin' cool to hunt for treasure together and sail the seas."

"I don't need to be a pirate for that to happen," Thomas muttered, trying really hard not to think about that tempting offer.

Nepgear cut in next, trying to move the conversation elsewhere, "I guess what Uzume is saying is how you seem quite comfortable at sea."

"Well, uh, it's pretty obvious, huh?" Thomas smiled weakly, "It wasn't always safe out here, but... I don't know, sometimes I feel this is more tranquil than all the crazy stuff happening on land."

"I can understand," Nepgear said, "This is actually much calmer than going through Lastation Plains, so far."

"Travelling by boat is a bit relaxing, too," Uzume moved her hands up behind her head.

"I guess when you can fly, travelling by boat wouldn't be much of an option," Thomas said while putting a hand on his forehead. He was starting to get some feeling back there once more, tapping a few times to check.

"So, uh, Tomsy?" Uzume just remembered something, and asked, "How much do you know of Leanbox or the CPU there?"

"Mm?" Thomas blinked at the sudden inquiry, "Well, uh... not a whole lot, actually. Why do you need to ask?"

Uzume grimaced, "After what happened in Lastation... you know..."

Thomas coughed a bit, "Oh! Mmhmm, right. Uh, don't worry, there's no real history between me and Lady Vert."

"I remember you telling me something like that earlier," Uzume recalled.

"I did do some work between Planeptune, Lowee, and Lastation," Thomas said, "But not really Leanbox. Most of the time, that sort of work would go to someone else."

Nepgear sighed softly, "Vert did usually want to see me, most of the time."

Uzume thought a moment, than came to a slow realization, "Ah. I mean, I can't really blame her for wanting to see you, Gearsy." She said this in an obvious tease.

"Goodness, Uzume, not you too," Nepgear panicked a little.

Uzume laughed, and lightly bopped Nepgear on the head, "Relax, Gearsy, will ya?"

Thomas had a small laugh, "Heh, but really, I hardly visited Leanbox, save for any major events or sales. Even then..." His expression soured a bit, "I don't know. There's something about the place that makes me feel unwelcome."

"Eh?" Uzume and Nepgear responded, both equally perplexed.

Thomas flinched at the response, but simply murmured under his breath.

"Wh-what do you mean by that, exactly?" Nepgear asked, "Leanbox didn't seem that bad whenever I went."

"It, it isn't like that," Thomas stuttered briefly. Moving his hand back to rub the back of his neck, "It's strange, though. Even when I was wandering the coastline, I was reluctant to be around Leanbox. I just feel a little uneasy."

"I don't quite understand what you're getting at, Tomsy," Uzume admitted.

"I do!" A new voice surprised all three. Thomas even jumped in his seat, ready to hop to his feet before realizing the voice belonged to the yawning Plutia.

"Gah!" Thomas was spooked the most, and his reaction startled Plutia, who jumped a little in response.

"Aah, don't scare me like that, Tommy!" Plutia complained.

"You scared me first!" Thomas retorted, "When did you get here?"

Plutia smiled, seeming to have gotten over the brief scare, "Just now. I woke up a moment ago, then heard some noise over here. So I came to see!" She turned over to wave happily to Rom and Ram, who stopped their game a moment to wave back. Plutia then turned back to Thomas and the others, "You were talking about Leanbox, right?"

Thomas nodded slowly, glancing away. Plutia flopped down on a seat next to Thomas, holding her legs as she looked to Uzume and Nepgear, "Sometimes, a place can feel kinda strange to someone. I was like that. Uh, just a little bit, but I got over it."

Thomas cleared his throat, "It still feels a bit weird. It's like the opposite of Lowee. The nation is one of the biggest naval powers in Gamindustri, and has great weather that that would make me feel at home. Yet I still have this weird feeling about Leanbox." He grumbled, "I'm sorry, I'm not making any sense."

"Hmm, I wonder," Nepgear thought aloud, before putting her theory out there, "I do know that Leanbox does have one of the more competitive atmospheres, especially among hardcore players. And Thomas is more of a casual player..."

Thomas' eyes widened, as Uzume and Plutia hrmed softly, as if judging. Maybe they were. "Is that it, Tommy?" Plutia said in her slow, happy tone, "Is Leanbox's gaming scene too scary?"

"Th-that's not it at all!" Thomas turned a little red at Nepgear's theory, "My gaming skill has nothing to do with it!"

"Whatever the reason," Uzume said, smirking at Thomas' fluster, "You did strongly suggest we go to Leanbox instead of the Azure Coast."

"Well, we're doing this to help out Lady Vert and her nation," Thomas argued, "She is a goddess too, after all. Er, hopefully she's there?"

Plutia paused, putting a finger up to her cheek, "Oh! Is she? Do we know for sure?"

"I guess we won't know for sure," Uzume frowned. There was the possibility that Vert may not have been at the Basilicom when the firewall dropped that day.

Nepgear looked a little worried, "I'm sure Lady Vert is in Leanbox, somewhere. Once we get there, we'll try to find any lead on her."

Thomas nodded slowly, "Right. I just hope she's alright."

Nepgear paused, and noticed something at the corner of her eye, from her side of the ship. She saw someone making a run toward the bow of the ship. Nepgear slowly got up, "A-anyway, I need to check out something. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Okay, Gearsy!" Uzume smiled, "We'll be here if you need us."

Nepgear did a small curtsy, before heading off, away from the court and following what she saw. Meanwhile, Thomas slowly got up next, stretching a little, "Oof, well, I'm gonna go to the mess. All that volleyball has made me awfully hungry."

Uzume perked a little, "Ooh, I was there a while back. I highly suggest the chili dogs! They were really good, and a bit spicy too!"

"I-is that so?" Thomas tilted his head at Uzume, "Alright. I might give it a chance. I'll be back a little later, then." He waved a bit, before heading the other way, leaving Uzume and Plutia to watch over the Lowee twins playing their casual round of volleyball.

Plutia slowly scooted over to take the seat Thomas had beside Uzume, and rocked a little in her seat, watching the twins. She then quietly said, "Just us, huh?"

"Uh huh," Uzume muttered quietly, before saying, "How was the hammock?"

"It's nice and comfy," Plutia said, before sighing, "Ah, but I couldn't sleep longer than I wanted. Those speakers above are going to keep me up."

"You can always go below deck to our quarters to sleep," Uzume offered.

Plutia giggled, "I'll be fine. I just like to nap a lot." She then clapped her hands, "How about you, Uzume? How are you today?"

"Doing alright," Uzume said, before something came to mind, "Oh, Plutsy! I just found out recently! Tommy and Noire, they got a truce going!"

Plutia smiled, "Yep! I know!"

"Yeah, that's a relief to hear," Uzume shared the smile, before doing a double-take, "Wait, you knew?"

"Plu?" Plutia was again startled, "What I do?"

"I just found out about this only a little while ago!" Uzume glared at Plutia, "Did you find out about this while you were asleep?"

Plutia blinked, "Huh? Oh! I saw Noire go talk with Tommy after we chatted with Nepgear and Uni. I was being **super** sneaky so I wouldn't interrupt them! Hehe, I am good spy!"

"Oh," Uzume slowly nodded, taking all that in, "So you just found out about it on the day. Wait, how come you didn't tell me after?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Plutia took a moment to think about it, then replied, "I forgot!"

Uzume narrowed her eyes, sighing at this admission, "Urgh. Somehow, I am not surprised by this."

Plutia giggled, "Sorry, Uzume. I know how much you wanted to find out. Now you don't have to worry! Isn't that great?"

"Well, it's one less thing to worry about," Uzume said quietly.

No sooner did Uzume finish that sentence, then something suddenly happened. The entire boat itself started to shake rather violently, throwing both Plutia and Uzume off their seats. Uzume soon steadied herself, and quickly grabbed one of Plutia's arms so the two could help each other from falling over.

Rom and Ram quickly scrambled under the net, holding each other as the ship shook. "Wh-what's going on, Ram?" Rom shivered, holding onto her sister.

"I don't know, Rom!" Ram said in frustrated, "Did we hit a giant block of ice or something?"

The shaking stopped, but the speakers soon blared out, "Emergency!" The captain called out, "The LSS Noirina is under attack at the bow. Crew members, scramble to emergency stations. Goddesses, you're needed at the front. There's a big monster that needs to be dealt with. I repeat-"

"You heard the captain," Uzume said as she and Plutia stabilized, "We got a baddie to deal with!"

"Aww," Plutia grumbled, "So much for napping through this trip."

"So much for a relaxing trip," Uzume grumbled.

Sorry, Uzume.


	59. ACT IV: Squeed Festival

**("Whew, longer chapter than usual, but hope you enjoy! Also, I had to admit something. When I made the outline of this story a year ago, I had this bit planned. Looking at the latest Neptunia game, though... probably just a coincidence! Honest! Oh well, not like I'm original." - A shameless author.)**

* * *

"Aaaah-hah-haaaaah! Run!"

The yelling came from the bow of the ship. On board the LSS Noirina, some of the ship crew was retreating back. The ship was being boarded by a group of sea monsters. To be more exact, a group of large Squeeds climbed aboard the ship. These squid-like creatures flailed their tentacles around, being a general nuisance up until they started attacking outright.

The crew members ran off, save for one female NPC who tried to buy them some time. "Hey! Over here!" From her inventory, she took out a wrench and tossed it. It bounced off of one of the smaller Squeeds, slightly damaging its HP but not really hurting it that much. This was, however, enough to get the monsters' attention, and the NPC tried to stall the monster by moving around some of the heavy equipment nearby. She hoped that it would be in the way so that the monsters would have to get around it, slowing them down.

Despite trying to shake them off, the Squeeds caught up with the NPC, who braced herself for a fight. However, she was saved by a new distraction, as Uni rushed in with her submachine gun, firing at the monsters to scare them off.

"Eat lead!" Uni snarled, firing some more to clear a way so she could be in front of the NPC to cover. Once in front, she looked to the woman, "You okay?"

The NPC nodded, as Uni turned to keep her weapon ready, seeing some of the Squeeds retreating back into the sea. "I'll cover for you here," Uni explained, "Can you make it back with the rest of the crew?"

"Y-yes, I think so," the woman stated, bowing her head a little, "Thank you, Lady Uni."

Uni's cheeks flushed a bit, but the woman was already turning to dash away before she could muster a response. Once more, the CPU candidate was being thanked. She knew that it shouldn't be so odd for her, and yet even a small bit of gratitude would briefly throw her off.

Her focus returned to the front of the ship. Uni slowly stepped forward with her weapon drawn. Most of the small Squeeds left were already gone, though some lingered at the very end of the ship's bow, close to the Noire mermaid figurehead.

Uni was being cautious in her walking, anticipating another group of Squeeds to return for some revenge. Just as she was starting to ease a little, watching the small Squeeds finally leave the ship, that the ship was shaken and stopped its momentum.

Uni stood her ground, but the momentary stop was enough of a distraction for the new monster to show up. A giant Squeed, engulfing the figurehead, clung to the sides of the ship, slowing it down significantly. Seriously? A giant Squeed? Who's been growing the size of these monsters, anyway? Did someone throw down a magic wand to do this? Oh, whatever. While I was getting annoyed, one of the monster's tentacles flung down and managed to wrap around one of Uni's legs.

"Wait, what?" Uni's eyes widened, getting caught and tripped. The tentacle started to pull up, trying to lift Uni up into the air. Uni recovered from the initial surprise to kick the tentacle with her other foot. The monster winced, pulling back and allowing Uni to break free. Uni rolled back and stood up, firing her SMG at the tentacle. The damage was light, and the tentacle retreated away, as the monster shifted its position on the end of the ship.

Readjusting herself, Uni moved forward, switching her aim from the retreating tentacle to the Giant Squeed's face. Firing a few more rounds, Uni stopped to see another tentacle trying to sneak around below her sights from the ship and try and grab her once more. Uni leaped back from the grab attempt, but this was simply a feint, as the tentacle from earlier returned from hiding, this time aiming to simply flatten Uni with an overhead smash.

Just as Uni was ready to dodge away, she saw the swift blade of Nepgear's reach up to parry the large creature's tentacle. Nepgear struggled briefly, having spent a lot of energy to make the save. She eventually shoved the tentacle away from the two of them, with Uni firing a few more shots to further damage it.

"Sorry to interrupt your volleyball match," Uni said, her eyes darting around before refocusing on the creature still clinging to the boat.

Nepgear pouted a little before turning towards the creature, standing just a bit ahead of Uni, holding her blade out, "It was already over by then. Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, the crew managed to get out," Uni responded, watching the creature wriggle about. Despite Uni shooting it a lot, she only managed a small bit of damage. "Think we can take this on our own?" Uni was quick to ask.

"Goodness!" Nepgear grimaced at the thought, "I don't want to do a super long boss fight. Er, I mean, we could, Uni... I'm sure we can handle it. We can do anything together!"

Uni sighed, "The first answer was fine, Nepgear. Let's work on keeping this thing busy."

"The others should be here soon," Nepgear added, before she saw the monster make its next move. It brought back its less-damaged tentacle, and tried to swipe sideways at the two.

"Incoming! Uh, jump!" Nepgear shouted, and the two timed their jump over the tentacle swing. Although Nepgear and Uni hardly had much training on their platforming skills, the two have proven that they could master any skipping contest.

For much of the battle, the Giant Squeed relied on tentacles that were along its bottom. The smaller Squeed bosses or enemies Nepgear or Uni would encounter usually had two long 'arms' with prehensile hands. As the two girls landed, one of these arms tried again to swat at them. This time, when Nepgear went to parry the attack, the hand took the damage inflicted, and tightly wrapped its digits around, catching Nepgear's arms in its grip.

"Hey! Let go!" Nepgear protested, pulling away to no avail. With this advantage in strength, the Squeed kept its momentum, dragging Nepgear briefly before letting go, flinging her right into Uni, and the collision threw them back before crashing in pain.

"Owie..." Nepgear whined as Uni merely clenched her teeth, while the two slowly got back to their feet. The Giant Squeed, meanwhile, finally managed to get its massive body onto the ship proper, with all its limbs getting comfortable for its next round of attacks.

Just before it got too comfortable, though, a small object was thrown at the Squeed's head. The monster momentarily squeaked in confusion, as it was hit by a simple volleyball.

Moments later, an arc of lightning shot down at the exact spot the volleyball hit, followed by another. This time, the Squeed recoiled in some pain, as the magic bolts coursed right through its body.

The volleyball landed back on the ship deck, rolling back towards Nepgear and Uni, who then turned their heads back to see Rom and Ram holding their stencil-shaped staffs at the monster.

"You leave our ship and our friends alone, you big dummy!" Ram called out, not looking particularly happy to see the giant sea creature.

Though slightly more nervous than Ram, Rom echoed the sentiment, "Yeah! Get out! D-determination!"

"Oh! Sorry for running off without telling!" Nepgear said apologetically, "I wasn't sure what was happening."

"Blech," Ram said in revulsion, ignoring the apologetic Nepgear, as she was more distracted by the Squeed, "It's a big slimy sea creature. Why does it have to bother us? Let's just transform already!"

"I agree!" Rom backed up her sister, "While it's still dizzy, let's transform!" She shuddered quietly this time, as she too was grossed out by the monster.

Uni smiled a little, "Yeah, we should probably get to it, then." Nepgear blinked a little as the three girls quickly brought out their HDD forms, before shifting into her own CPU form.

"You had your chance to leave," Black Sister Uni called out, bringing out her rifle, "Too bad for you."

The monster slowly recovered from the last magic attack, and squeaked in whatever language it had. **"Squeedel-woomy blu!"**

As if this was a calling card, the smaller Squeeds returned from the sea and began boarding, joining in a protective half-circle in front of the large boss.

"Seriously?" Uni winced, as the four CPU Candidates watched the Squeeds even stack up on each other to make a protective shield, taunting the four with a wiggly dance. The four sweatdropped at the display.

"You keep lining them up, I'll keep knocking them down!" Uzume was next to show up at the bow of the ship. Seeing the 'shield' of Squeeds, Uzume proclaimed her line, cracking her knuckles before charging in, untransformed, and hitting a massive haymaker, breaking through the shield and some of them flying right back into the ocean.

Uzume laughed, and stood triumphant, in part to show off, "Ha, too easy! How was that, girls? Pretty cool, right?"

"Uzume!" Nepgear exclaimed, "Watch out!"

"Hmm?" Uzume's eyebrows arched, and she hopped back just in time to see some of the other smaller enemies try to shoot ink at her. In addition, the Giant Squeed tried to swat her down. Uzume eeped, rolling back, and immediately invoking her transformation.

Orange Heart flew up quickly, trying to stay out of reach. Her reaction to all this was far from heroic, "Nonono, bad Squeeds! Uzume doesn't want her clothes ruined by icky ink! Uzume will tie dye her own outfits!"

 **"Squeeink!"** The Giant Squeed, as if responding to Uzume's comment, complained audibly before doing it's own ink shot, aiming at the four confused CPU Candidates.

The four managed to fly out in separate directions to avoid the giant ink shot, which made a giant black blotch on the ship's deck.

Just as the four regrouped with the hovering Uzume, and the boss' minions returned to its leader, there was a buzzing sound from the ship's speakers, "What the? I just had that deck cleaned recently!"

Nepgear flinched a little, "Was that the captain speaking?"

"Crap, had the finger on the button," the captain muttered clearly before blurting out, "Uh, I mean, this is your captain speaking. Crew's taking care of the ship right now, and I can see the other ladies heading over to your location. By the way, you might want to transform, other CPUs. Big boss ahead. A-a-anyway, I'll see what else I can do from here!" The speakers then abruptly cut off.

"What's he going to do, blare out the speakers in the hopes the Squeeds run off?" Uni was not too enthused by whatever ideas the captain had.

Meanwhile, in the puddle of ink, someone decided to make her entrance, stepping through puddle on her heels instead of flying about. Eventually, the person stopped in the middle of the puddle, with an irritated look on her face.

"My, even when I'm fully awake, I have to hear that voice on loud speakers," seethed Iris Heart, before she cracked into a wicked smile, bringing out her weapon, "But hey, looks like we got some stowaways. Just what I need to let out some frustration." She unfurled her blade into a whip, and addressed the monsters, with a more sinister tone, "Won't you stay a while and listen?"

Both the girls **and** the Squeeds were a little shaken by Iris Heart's aura. In truth, Iris Heart simply wanted to intimidate, hoping to scare away the monsters somehow. She waited to see the results, before she saw one of the Squeeds bail out from the group. The rest stayed, though were a little more fidgety than before.

Iris Heart sighed quietly, muttering under her breath, "That was disappointing. I expected more to leave. Am I going soft?" She shook her head, speaking lightly, "Oh well!" Before she could say anymore, the Giant Squeed threw down one of its tentacles to try and squash Plutia. Iris Heart's eyes sharpened, seeing the incoming attack, and swiftly avoided the attack, taking to the sky to join her allies.

This, however, only further aggravated the CPU. Gripping her weapon tightly with both hands, Iris Heart shouted angrily, "Interrupting me during my entrance? How impudent! Does this mean you want a harsh lesson? Because I am happy enough to oblige!"

Ram curiously tilted her head at the angry CPU, while Neptune, Rom, and Uzume felt a sudden case of the shivers. Plutia, noticing the looks she's getting from her allies, sighed a bit, saying quietly, "I am only venting here. Besides, it was meant to intimidate the monster here."

"Come on, girls, let's refocus here," Uni exclaimed to everyone involved so, far, checking her weapon before surveying the battlefield in front of her, "We need a plan of attack here. Those small fries will keep getting in our way if we approach the big one."

The group pondered on this, as the GIant Squeed looked up curiously. Irritated that it had been ignored, it tried again to fire a bit of ink upwards. A tough shot that was quickly spotted by the CPUs, who easily avoided the attempt, as the ink fell back down, adding to the puddle.

"Do you mind?" Ram complained, "You're a very rude boss! No wonder Plutia's angry at you."

The CPUs regrouped together in another spot overlooking the boss. After a beat, someone asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, we took some damage earlier, but we're alright," Nepgear politely answered, before doing a double-take, "Neptune?"

"Oh! Sorry, Nepgear," Purple Heart said with a small laugh, "Hah, we just arrived to help out, and I wanted to check on everyone."

"We?" Rom blinked, and looked down below.

Soon, the group turned to see White Heart rush out to attack the group of small Squeeds surrounding the big boss, and launching a bunch of them in the air with her first attack, similar to what Uzume did earlier. Following up on that, however, was IF and Black Heart, dashing on the sides to attack some of the enemies still lingering from Blanc's strike.

The Giant Squeed, in response, tried to swat down at Black Heart at its flank. Noire saw the incoming attack, and flew backwards just to avoid the reach of its smash. Black Heart grinned at this, and called out, "Blanc!"

"Right! **Hyyyyah!"** Blanc followed up with an overhead smash of her own, scoring a direct hit on the outstretched limb. As the monster struggled to pull back, Black Heart charged with multiple slashes, enough to do some damage before the monster finally pulled free.

The Giant Squeed reacted angrily at this coordinated attack, and flailed all its tentacles around, save the one that was hit. IF was already pulling back to a safer distance by the time this was going on. Black Heart quickly flew back, while White Heart relied on her massive axe to simply block and stay on the defensive. Despite this, Blanc was slowly pushed back by the constant attacks.

Purple Heart flew down beside IF, as the other goddesses grouped around, "Hey Iffy. Looks like the first attack went well."

IF nodded, "Yeah. I don't know what to expect from it now, though. Might change up its attack pattern."

Purple Heart tried to feign some surprise, which was admittedly more difficult for Neptune's CPU form, "Oh dear! Could this be a boss with multiple phases?"

IF frowned a little, but before she could retort, Purple Heart followed up with a look of concern as she glanced back, "Iffy? Have you seen Compa anywhere? I have not seen her since earlier."

"We'll have to fight this monster without her right now," IF said, "She's gone seasick, unfortunately."

"Oh, I hope Compa feels better soon," Rom said, looking a little glum at the news.

"I would like to pay her a visit after this is over," Purple Heart stated, "But alright, we'll have to manage without one of our top healers."

Rom nodded, "I'll do extra healing, to make up for it!"

"Blanc will certainly appreciate it," Purple Heart smiled to the little CPU. Blanc was taking quite a few hits from the boss before finally meeting back with the group, staying in front as the tank.

Noire dropped down beside Blanc, and turned to face the monster, keeping her weapon in a guarded pose. "Uni! Everyone, are you alright?" Black Heart asked quickly.

"We're holding up, though Compa won't be joining us on account of seasickness," Uni replied, before taking a quick look at the party. She asked, "Uh, Uzume? Wasn't Thomas with you and Nepgear earlier?"

IF cut in, "He was heading down below deck before the attack happened. I don't know if he'll be here or not, though."

"Perhaps it is for the best," Noire mused, "This is a pretty big monster to deal with." She then muttered, "And after all that talk about wanting to help..."

* * *

Thomas nearly tripped over himself as he scrambled back from below deck. He was on his way to the mess for some food when the ship started to shake. The CPUs already ran past him before the captain spoke of the danger on speaker. After getting back on his feet, he made his way back onto the main deck, and was making his way to the bow.

He was hesitant to go help with the CPUs in this instance. For one, he was not in the best of shape, tiring himself earlier from the volleyball match with Nepgear and the Lowee twins. Despite this, he knew that it would be a poor excuse for him not to show up. At the very least, Thomas would offer some support to the CPUs from the back row.

No, the main reason for his trepidation was hearing that there was a big monster. He was already trying to overcome his fear, or perhaps reluctance, to fight in general. Fighting a giant monster was not something he was hoping for to start off this voyage. He gritted his teeth, likely coming to the realization that he had no control over who or what he would have to face. If he was to see this through to the end, he would have to be there.

He picked up his pace, eventually running over to the scene at the ship's bow. He stopped just behind the party, freezing as he saw what was ahead. His eyes widen and his expression also went blank. It wasn't long before someone finally took notice of the man standing there, seeming in shock.

"Looks like he decided to join in after all," IF stated, before calling out, "Thomas! Stay behind us, we'll deal with the big monster while you can do your... um, meditation thing."

No response came from Thomas. Looks like he broke again.

"Uh, Thomas? Now is not the time to freeze up," IF exclaimed, looking back to the Giant Squeed. It was calming down from its rage earlier, and was slowly refocusing. It wouldn't be long before it went on the offensive again.

"That... thaaaaat's a big Squeed," Thomas muttered. Glad he's catching up on the details here.

"Astute observation," Uni remarked, "Don't worry. We all got this. We can handle-"

"Amazing! Just what this voyage needs!"

"Eh?" Uni reacted in surprise to what was just said. She turned her head to see Thomas pointing at the monster. Gone was the blank expression, replaced by an eager, almost joyful glee. Thomas did not appear to be frightened of this monster at all. If anything, he was ecstatic.

The reason why slowly came up, as Thomas moved up beside the party and adjusted his scabbard, readying for an attack, "I can see it now. This will be enough to feed the entire ship..." He looked to the party, and spotted Ram within the group, "Hey Ram, think we can make some fried calamari out of that thing?"

"Are you honestly thinking about **food** right now?" Noire exclaimed in relative shock, "This thing is dangerous!"

Ignoring Noire, Ram piped up, "Oooh! Yeah yeah, we can totally make a lot of rings. I can bring the fire!" Ram was starting to get excited.

If I may interject, I believe that after that tiring volleyball match, Thomas' hunger had risen to the point where he's extremely willing to fight. I don't know why it didn't come up during his previous battles, though.

"I just really like seafood," Thomas stated, partly to answer me, but also to explain to the others why. I'll go to Neptune to judge whether this was breaking the fourth wall or not.

The others, sans Ram and Neptune, recoiled back at the simple statement. "I'll allow it," Purple Heart smiled, "I'm getting kinda hungry, myself."

"Now that Tomsy said it," Orange Heart said as she looked over at the monster, who by now was starting to look puzzled by this exchange, "Uzume wouldn't mind a little sashimi."

"Didn't you eat a lot of chili dogs earlier?" Black Heart frowned at Uzume for her gluttonous behavior.

Orange Heart fidgeted, answering in a defensive tone, "Uzume has many stomachs! It's one of many of Orange Heart's powers! Uzume still OP, you know? Hehe!"

"We certainly could use this monster to help feed the ship," Nepgear thought out loud, "If we can show our appreciation to the crew for helping us out, I think we should take it."

"Say, Tommy," Iris Heart said with a malicious grin, "I hope you do not mind if I may tenderize this boss. We wouldn't want the upcoming meal to be too rough to chew on."

"Not at all!" Thomas said happily, before adding, "Try not to overdo it, though."

"Oh, don't worry," Iris Heart said with a glare at the monster, "I can be very precise."

At this point, the monster was starting to feel a little intimidated, or concerned about what was to be its fate.

Noire rolled her eyes, almost at the same time as IF, who wasn't going to say anything about it.

"Urgh, whatever!" Noire complained, "Is everyone just thinking with their stomachs now? Blanc? Uni? Rom?"

"I agree with Miss Nepgear's idea," Rom said simply.

Uni shrugged, and Blanc finally added her two cents, "It doesn't freaking matter, does it? Let's get to smashing this thing already!"

"Sounds good!" Thomas said of the consensus, before surprising everyone by dashing at the monster. Thomas was eager to start this off on the right foot, charging in and using his newly-acquired skill.

 **"Super Sonic Sabre!"** The monster was caught off-guard as Thomas vanished from sight briefly, only to reappear right up close beside it for the slash. The resulting shockwave from the attack caused it to fumble over on its side, as Thomas flew ahead. The attack, while not extremely strong, was effective in stunning the creature once more, if just for a while.

Thomas was glad to finally show this recent move to the others in the party who haven't seen it yet. Unfortunately for the overly eager man, he seemed to have forgotten the one thing about his new move. Unlike other SP moves where a person would stay where they were before they executed the move, his move's other purpose was to move ahead quickly.

That meant that when he was done with the move, he would be past the monster, which was right at the edge of the ship.

"Oh cr-aah!" Thomas dropped down immediately from view.

"Thomas!" Purple Heart shouted. Almost immediately after this, the speakers came on, with the captain stating, "Man overboard."

"We noticed," Noire muttered.

"Uzume'll get him," Orange Heart explained, "Everyone else work on the big baddie monster, okay?"

 **"Squeed!"** A high-pitched sound came from near the monster, as the few remaining smaller Squeeds from earlier returned to protect its dazed boss.

IF and Blanc moved on ahead, with IF saying quickly, "Let's move! No more wasting time!"

After another sigh, Noire followed the two in charging along the front. Uni, Rom and Ram stayed back to use their ranged weapons and magic, waiting for the three in front to start their attack. Plutia also waited behind, waiting for a chance to take out some stragglers and inflict some more pain.

Purple Heart, Purple Sister, and Orange Heart flew up, breaking into different directions. Uzume went up high above, while Neptune and Nepgear took to the sides. The two Nep sisters were looking to do a pincer attack on the monster after the initial skirmishes.

As for Uzume, her eyes scanned around the ship and the surrounding water for the fallen man. Being so high up, she had to squint a little, but she eventually saw someone hanging near the edge of the ship. Avoiding the battle going on, Orange Heart flew down, eventually recognizing the figure as Thomas.

Thomas did not fall into the sea, in fact. There was no splash earlier, so that might have been a clue. Instead, Thomas was hanging onto the figurehead at the very edge of the ship. Uzume flew in for a closer look, initially going to call him so she could lift him out.

"Ah! Hey Uzume," Thomas said in a struggle to keep a grip on. The expert climber was using the figurehead to try to climb back up onto the ship, "I'll be up in a bit, unless you wish to help."

Orange Heart instead made a face, almost similar to what Neptune would use whenever she was teasing, as she apparently was judging Thomas here. "Starrrrrrrre," the lighthearted tone of the CPU was picked up even from the tone-deaf individual.

"Eh?" Thomas winced, "It's a figurehead! I had to grab onto something! Besides, it's just the shoulders! I'm not grabbing anywhere else! Okay, maybe the hair, but honestly, I'm not doing anything weird!"

"Still judging!" Orange Heart teased. She was confident enough that Thomas wouldn't slip and fall. Even if so, she would be there.

Meanwhile, Neptune and Nepgear flew in on the Giant Squeed, coordinating their slashes to connect on the monster at the same time, inflicting a good amount of damage. Being a Giant Squeed, though, it still had plenty of HP. While Blanc used her weapon to knock back any attacking tentacles, IF and Noire looked for spots to attack the monster head-on. The smaller Squeeds were slowly being dwindled down to nothing by an eager Plutia, while the remaining CPUs fired from a distance.

As Neptune and Nepgear fell back to join with Uni, Rom and Ram, the ship's speakers blared on once again. This time, it was happening while some machinery was raised up from below deck on the ships sides. "Attention goddesses, this is the captain speaking," the speakers went on, "Our crew has managed to bring up some harpoon cannons that you could use to take down this boss. It doesn't have much in the way of ammo, though, so make those shots count." In total, there were only two cannons set up on the side.

"Those things might be able to do enough to that monster," Uni said to her friends nearby, estimating the cannons' capability, "But we need to make sure we get a direct shot."

"We need a distraction or stun it long enough," Nepgear concluded.

The distraction came quicker than Nepgear expected, as Thomas climbed back aboard and scrambled upon the monster's back. With the monster busy trying to stop Blanc, IF and Noire, and the smaller Squeeds being finished off by Plutia, Thomas climbed upon the monster's back and got near the top before stabbing his weapon right in the middle.

"Backstab crit!" Thomas proclaimed, "You forgot about me, didn't y-waaaah!"

Thomas' weapon, the Lastation Sabre Mk989 - uh, there were a lot of sabres - was stuck in the monster's back, and as the monster flailed around trying to shake off its backstabber. Thomas held on tightly, but he was thrown about while tentacles tried to grab him.

With this happening, Blanc, IF, and Noire moved back to look at the spectacle.

"There's our distraction," Purple Heart said, "Now would be a good time."

"We got this cannon!" Ram exclaimed, going over to one harpoon cannon with Rom. Uni simply shrugged and moved over to the other cannon. After some fiddling, the CPU candidates aimed and fired the cannons at the beast's face. With no tentacles or small monsters to get in the way, the harpoons went right in, scoring a direct hit.

The shots were enough for the sabre to finally be thrown out of the creature's back, tossing Thomas back towards the water. "Gotcha!" Orange Heart was ready, however, to grab him before he would fall into the drink.

With the amount of damage inflicted, it was only a matter of time before the others could finish it off. The day was won.

"Hold on," Purple Heart said, "We've been through this fight, let's at least see someone's finishing move. It's only fair to our audience."

I guess.

"Let me handle this," the suddenly determined Purple Sister volunteered, "This is something I want to finish."

"Nepgear?" Neptune was surprised by her sister's insistence.

Nepgear flew over to the front of the group, facing the soon-to-be-finished monster, with fierce determination. It was a sight to behold, similar to the many times the one-time main protagonist had against her enemies. The CPU Candidate who took down the Deity of Sin held a heroic pose, as she spoke out.

"I cannot stand by and let this creature terrorize the seas," Nepgear started, "The people of Gamindustri have enough problems with firewalls and robot invaders and other monsters. For all the sailors and good schoolgirls everywhere, I will take down this giant tentacle monster!"

Purple Heart laughed weakly, as the nearby party members sweatdropped. Despite the, um, interesting choice of words, Nepgear continued, engaging in her EXE drive, "Multiple beam launcher, overdrive!" Nepgear's Celestial Severance began with a charged slash through the monster, launching the monster into the air.

 **"Haaaaaah!"** Purple Sister fired multiple shots at the creature, before flying up and stabbing right into the thing. It was already a mess by the time Nepgear hopped back for her final shot, an explosive MBPL shot, obliterating the boss in a fiery explosion. Naturally, Nepgear looked away for the badass pose.

As Uzume set Thomas down by the party to watch, Thomas flinched a bit at what he saw. Granted, he's seen plenty of strange and devastating moves throughout. Still, the sheer strength of some of these moves were well above what he could muster. It all served as a reminder of how strong these goddesses were, and of that fateful day...

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **Neptune's icon appeared, saying, "Is there a thing called squid ink pudding? Asking for a friend."**

* * *

A long while later, in the mess, the party, as well as many of the ship's crew, were taking a break to celebrate the victory with a feast. With all the meat dropped from the battle as part of the loot, the crew created a large seafood feast, with lots of Squeed-related dishes. There were fish, vegetables and other delicacies also mixed in, but the majority were related to the squid-like creature.

"Aah!" Uzume exclaimed, waving a hand in front of her face, "Ish too hawt! Too hawt! Watah!" At the table where most of the party was seated at, Uzume quickly grabbed for the large glass of water nearby to gulp down.

Nepgear giggled a bit at her friend's reaction, "Maybe you shouldn't have eaten so much of the spicy calamari at once."

Uzume could only gasp after finishing the glass of water. While this was happening, Ram reached over to Uzume's plate, grabbing one of the smaller rings to take a bite.

"Hey, this ain't bad," Ram said after finishing a bite, "You didn't need to scarf it all down to enjoy it, Uzume. Dummy."

"I thought it was cool for her to try," Rom said in an effort to heal Uzume's bruised ego, "I am not as daring with spicy foods. I like this mild calamari."

"I agree, Rommy," a relaxed Plutia said as she leaned on the table. Table manners aside, Plutia took the moment to eat a little from her plate, "Mmm. It's all nice and easy to chew. You did a good job with tenderizing the boss, Neppy Junior."

Nepgear smiled meekly, "I only finished it off, really. It was thanks to everyone that we were victorious."

"Always so humble, Neppy Junior," Plutia muttered in disappointment, before yawning, "It was a bit of a workout, though."

"It was thanks to you dwindling down those smaller enemies that we could concentrate on the big boss, Plutia," Nepgear noted, "Thank you."

"No problem," Plutia returned a small smile, before crossing her arms and resting her head on the table's edge, "I'm gonna rest for a while now. Mmmm..." She closed her eyes and quickly dozed off.

"And just like that, she's out," Uni observed, before looking to Nepgear, "Say, Nepgear, have you tried the sushi yet? Mine had some shiso leaves."

"Oh, yeah, mine too!" Nepgear commented, "It's very nice. I'm glad this ship has enough rice to make all this sushi."

Uni nodded, then noticed beside her Neptune putting down another empty cup of pudding, "Geez, Neptune. That was how many cups already?"

Neptune simply grinned, grabbing another from the pile she stacked atop her plate, "What can I say? The crew's made so much pudding. I can't let such efforts go to waste!"

Uni sighed softly, "Sure, let's go with that."

Neptune giggled, holding onto her next cup while turning to check on IF next to her, "Iffy? Saving some leftovers or something?"

IF was putting some of the sashimi away into a container she had, "Just picking a few things for Compa. Don't want her to feel left out of the spoils."

"We really should do something for her," Neptune murmured, "I really do hope she'll be alright soon."

"Same here," IF nodded, as she closed the container and put away in her inventory for later. While this was happening, we move to the next person beside her, as Blanc looked to be in deep thought.

Beside Blanc, Noire noticed this, and asked, "Something bothering you, Blanc?"

"I was just thinking," Blanc said softly, "The boss attacking us just out of the blue like that. Is this a common thing at sea?"

IF piped in, as the intel gatherer shared her information, "I was speaking with some of the crew earlier. There have been instances where monsters attack shipping, but not with such ferocity. Usually a few monsters show up, and certainly not a big creature like that."

Blanc nodded, "I see. If that is the case, then maybe something happened to aggravate the monsters at sea."

"It's probably all that firewall's fault," Noire guessed, "The barriers must have separated many from their nests or families. Just like on land."

Blanc hummed, "That is the most likely scenario. Let us hope we don't encounter any mobs like that again."

"We can handle it," Neptune said confidently in her usual cheerful manner, "At least we got a nice meal out of it for everyone."

"Speaking of which," IF stated, "Anyone else a bit surprised by Thomas earlier? He looked almost happy to face a Giant Squeed."

"A bit," Blanc admitted, "Although, it might explain his history of wandering around the coast."

"I thought he was just being reckless again," Noire murmured.

Neptune laughed a little, "He was likely just hungry. Maybe seafood to him is like me and pudding."

Blanc furrowed her brows, putting a hand to her chin, "A weakness, perhaps?"

Noire shook her head, "Whatever. I am actually more surprised he went to help prepare some of this. It's... not bad."

Sure enough, on cue, Thomas and another chef returned from the back with a food cart. He stopped by the table, slowly getting the bowls and setting them in the middle for the girls to choose.

"We got some more calamari, but me and the other chefs also took the liberty of making some ramen to go with all of this. Please, help yourselves!" Thomas said happily, before letting the chef carry the food cart away to other tables. Thomas then dropped down to his knees, feeling a sense of exhaustion.

"Uh, Tom? Are you alright?" Blanc asked.

"Oh, I'm just a bit tired," Thomas said lightly, "I'll be fine, though. I'm just gonna sit here. Don't let me stop you from enjoying a full meal!"

"You're pushing yourself too hard," Noire grumbled, "You should be resting and having some food as well."

"I'm good," Thomas responded, "I ate a little bit while in the back. Besides, I wanted to help here."

Uzume was quick to grab a bowl of ramen, wanting to have, hopefully, something less spicy. Digging in, Uzume stopped to notice the curious glances from the entire table, as well as the nearby Thomas. All of them were waiting for her reaction, as though it was decided she was taste-testing.

Feeling a bit of pressure from all the staring, Uzume quickly slurped some of the noodles that she was eating, finishing her bite. "Ish gewd," Uzume muttered softly, before clearing her throat some more, "I mean, it's really good."

"Is that so?" Thomas asked in a bit of surprise.

"Absolutely!" Uzume said with a cheeky grin, "It's nice and warm, and not too salty, but still really tasty."

IF went to grab a bowl next, and was more cautious, taking a bite. Afterwards, IF muttered, "Not bad. I didn't take you for a chef, Thomas."

"I'm not, and I did get help from the others in the back," Thomas muttered, "Still, when it comes to seafood, or ramen, I'm not exactly a slouch in that department."

Eventually, the others, one by one, save for the sleeping Plutia, grabbed a bowl to eat. After some bites, there were a growing consensus that, well, the ramen was great, adding to the overall feast.

Thomas sighed some relief, as he was unsure if his cooking was up to the standards of a goddess, let alone the entire group. It should have dawned on him that they were not terribly picky when it comes to food, except for maybe Neptune's tastes. Even then, Neptune and the others are usually happy whenever they eat. This was not going to be an exception.

"Ish vewy gewd," Neptune said after some more noms, "Tommy, do you have a lot of cooking XP from all that time at sea?"

"Ah, well, maybe a little," Thomas flustered a bit, "I've done cooking even from a young age. Kinda needed to prepare food while surviving, you know? I've learned a little more from my time working at various jobs in Lastation, though."

Noire hrrmed, "I was wondering why the ramen had a familiar quality to it. Ureshii Ryouri, or some name like that, I can't remember exactly. It's a nice ramen shop at the market."

"Ah, that's the one," Thomas said with a small laugh, "It was a few weeks, but I learned quite a bit from the chef there."

"Ah, i-it's very good," Noire added, "D-don't take it any other way. I'm just glad about the meal, that's all."

Thomas blinked a moment, before picking up on the bit of tsun from Noire, "That's very good to hear." All this time, he was still sitting on his knees from fatigue. Thomas sat back and closed his eyes to rest, just for a little while. He was exhausted from all that running around. Keeping up with the goddesses in one form or another was taking a toll on his body.

Still, for him, seeing the goddesses being happy eating their food, this was what he was aiming for. To see the smiles on their faces, but also, to let them enjoy their lives for as long as he could muster whatever strength left. It was his hope, his belief, that it would be worth the effort. They were born from the wishes of those in Gamindustri, from what he recalled reading about then. If he could somehow help in any way...

For now, however, even as his body ached, he was happy.


	60. ACT IV: Motivation

**("I want to say, as I go into this new chapter, that I really do appreciate all the views, favorites, follows, and feedback so far. It's a weird thing to still see some interest after so long and so much written. Perhaps I have lost some interest from people since early on, or just now, but I can only hope that for the time I have caught your interest, that it was enjoyable. It's still a little weird, though." - A slowly aging author.)**

* * *

After cleaning up, the LSS Noirina resumed its voyage, getting closer to the firewall barrier that was surrounding Leanbox. Once the feast was over, most of the party went to rest. There was still some concern among the crew that more monsters may show up after the last battle. However, this fear was slowly fading, as monsters seemed to stay clear from the ship's path.

The captain of the vessel, after having someone take the wheel, took some time to check on his crew, make sure everyone was alright, and overall try to relax their fears. When he agreed to take part in this voyage, he told anyone who joined of the possible dangers involved.

This was not some mere trip to Leanbox, after all. As far as they knew, they were entering hostile territory, and carrying the CPUs at that. Dealing with robots and monsters was going to happen. There was no escaping that fact. He urged people that if they weren't comfortable with such things, they should not be part of this voyage.

Still, the captain went around to check on his crewmates. After he made a few visits, he went to his quarters to rest for a while, fixing himself some tea and sitting down for a spell. He had some time to relax his toes, at least until something would come knocking at his door.

The knocks came sooner, just as he stirred his tea and was ready for his first sip. "That was early," the captain muttered. He actually anticipated someone arriving, but not so quickly. Sitting himself down at a table and getting comfortable, he called out, "Door is unlocked, come in."

As the door opened, the captain continued on, "I just finished making some tea and-" He stopped immediately as he saw who entered, and brightly smiled, "Oh! Lady Noire! A pleasure to be seeing you again. I hope our crew have been accommodating so far." He took this moment to quietly sip his tea.

Noire closed the door behind her, moving a few steps into the captain's quarters before stopping, folding her arms around her waist. After a little look around the quarters, Noire turned her head to answer the captain, "Yes. The crew have been doing well so far. That was not the reason I came up here, however."

"How unfortunate," the captain said with a small sigh, "I had a feeling you were not stopping by for some friendly conversation." He paused, then asked simply, hoping to be polite, "Would you like a cup of tea, regardless? I was preparing for another guest."

"No thanks," Noire shook her head, "Can your guest wait? This is important."

"Well, I could-" the captain started his sentence before the two of them heard a knock from behind them. "Door's unlocked," the captain said out of habit, much to Noire's dismay.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Noire said in a quiet huff.

The captain smiled a little, purposely ignoring Noire's protest, "Please, come in."

The door opened slowly, with a surprised Thomas entering, seeing both Noire and the captain inside. Straightening up, Thomas spoke, "Uh, hello. L-lady Noire is here as well?" He grew puzzled, "Did I do something? I was told that the captain wished to see me."

"Thomas? What are you doing here?" Noire asked in equal surprise, and to the captain's silent amusement.

Before Thomas could answer, the captain cut in, "Thomas is the guest I spoke of earlier, Lady Noire." The captain smiled happily, "So this is the lone male in the party I've heard about. This is quite the surprise."

Thomas' eyes darted between the two, and he cleared his throat, "Oh! Am I interrupting something right now? I could leave and come back a little later."

"Yes-" Noire stated.

Once again, however, the captain interrupted, "No, not at all. I am certain that whatever issue Lady Noire has can be discussed with a member of her party being around. That is not a problem, is it, Lady Noire?"

Noire glared momentarily at the captain before sighing, "I suppose not."

"Excellent!" The captain said before motioning for Thomas to enter the room and close the door behind him. The captain then explained to Thomas, gesturing to the back of the room, "It will be a moment, so make yourself comfortable. I have a batch of tea brewed, so help yourself to a cup if you would like."

"S-sure, thank you," Thomas said with a quick bow of his head before he casually moved past the two to have himself some tea. He was not going to turn down an offer of tea, or any caffeinated beverage.

"You are quite welcome," the captain said politely. Turning back to Noire, he lifted his cup, readying for a sip. Before that, he continued, "Anyway, I am certain that Lady Noire wished to speak to me regardless about the certain storage of harpoon weaponry aboard this ship."

Noire blinked a few times, as being caught off-guard was a long enough reaction for the captain to take a sip. "Uh, y-yeah, that was what I wanted to talk to you about," Noire admitted.

The captain set down his cup, his smile fading, "I see. I do hope they were of use in the battle against that giant monster."

"They were," Noire said simply, "That was not the point."

"Of course," the captain leaned back in his seat, "You're wondering of what purpose I would have such weapons on board, correct?"

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, even as Thomas scrounged around the back of the room, looking for some sugar to add to his cup of tea. Noire slowly exhaled a breath, and nodded, "You are not using those things to hunt, are you?"

"Of course not," the captain shook his head, "These weapons are purely for our own protection. We needed a little extra firepower, so we had some of the harpoons brought aboard."

"Uh huh," Noire furrowed her brow. She was not terribly convinced by this explanation.

The captain set his cup of tea aside, and clasped his hands together, "Lady Noire, I would not lie to you on this. These weapons were purely for defensive purposes."

Noire was still a little wary, but had difficulty putting her objection into words. As she went into thought, Thomas returned with his cup of tea, and sat down in a nearby chair. He seemed to be ignoring the conversation, preferring to let them sort out whatever issue there was while he enjoyed his tea.

Just as he brought the cup to his lips, Thomas heard Noire call out, "Thomas! I need your opinion on the matter here."

"Mmm?" Thomas hummed, having already taken his first sip. Bring the cup down, Thomas asked simply, "Is that so?"

Noire huffed a bit, "I would not ask for it normally. I-it is only because I know you have plenty of experience at sea, that's all." She cleared her throat, raising a hand up to her chest, "During your time at sea, did you face a whole lot of monsters that you had to fight?"

Hearing the question, Thomas grimaced, thinking back, "Well, uh, I did have to fight on occasion, same as on land. Um," he glanced away, murmuring, "usually when I was really hungry..."

"Usually when you were what?" Noire couldn't quite hear Thomas murmuring that last bit.

"Usually when I was hungry," Thomas said aloud, "I would prefer fish or plant life, but sometimes I had to eat some Dogoo Jelly or whatever I could get my hands on..."

"So, you went hunting," the captain added, partly to tease Noire.

Thomas nodded, "Though really, if I could help it, I would try to avoid a fight. However, I found that generally monsters were of a weaker level when I was at sea. Also, they weren't usually looking for a fight."

Noire ahas, "So you didn't have to fight a whole lot while at sea."

"To answer the question honestly, no," Thomas then shook his head, thinking, "That was my experience, however. I could have just been lucky that whole time. Everyone still has to worry about monsters attacking, no matter where on the planet you were."

"Precisely," the captain gestured his palm in Thomas' direction, "Thank you for clarifying this. After all, Lady Noire, everyone must take precautions whenever they travel. Monsters can be very unpredictable."

"That said, why would you need such protection when you could've relied on a group of adventurers to help out?" Noire said, before pointing out, "Your ship is carrying a group of goddesses as well."

Thomas hrrmed softly, responding to Noire, "Not everyone can afford a group of adventurers to follow them, or be lucky or fast enough to avoid monsters. Besides, it did take a while for all of us to respond to the monsters attacking the ship."

Noire frowned. The captain cleared his throat, "Regardless, Lady Noire, I assure you we were not out hunting wildlife with those weapons. I acquired those weapons at the behest of the LSN before setting off on this trip."

"The LSN, huh," Noire said with a wry smile. The agency that was made to help prepare Lastation's defenses seemed to have gotten involved with this trip. Perhaps they were trying to overcome their failure in not seeing this firewall coming. Whatever the case, Noire would have some more people to talk to when she would return to Lastation.

"I understand your concern, Lady Noire," Thomas added, "In a tenuous environment such as this, with both monsters and normal wildlife agitated by what's going on, we shouldn't be using this as an excuse to hunt for a commercial profit down the line. Wouldn't you agree, sir?"

The captain blinked a few times as he was addressed, "Oh, o-of course! I understand the conservation efforts being made. Once we finish transporting you all over to Leanbox, we'll immediately head straight back home and have these weapons removed."

Noire nodded slowly, "Very well. Anyway, I was merely bringing up my concern with the captain on this voyage. Now that the matter is done with, I'll be heading out."

"Understood," the captain bowed his head respectfully to the goddess, "May you enjoy the rest of this voyage, Lady Noire."

Noire glanced over at the captain, then over at Thomas, before letting out a quiet, "Hmph." Once she did that, she turned around, nonchalantly flipping one of her twintails as she walked over to the door and exited, lightly closing the door and leaving the captain and Thomas alone.

The two were quiet briefly, looking back to their own tea cups. After a beat, the captain remarked to himself, "That was interesting." He then looked up to Thomas, "Is the tea to your liking, by the way?"

"Uh, yes, sir," Thomas said in a quiet tone.

The captain chuckled at the response, "You certainly weren't so quiet voicing your opinion earlier."

Thomas hummed a bit, eventually saying, "I just wanted to be clear to Lady Noire. Besides, we haven't fully introduced ourselves."

"Of course," the captain said in a polite tone, "There really isn't much to say on that front, though. I have a name, but I would simply be referred to as 'The Admiral', but for this voyage, I am simply captain of this fine vessel."

Thomas nodded slowly, "Yes. I think I recall hearing of someone in Lastation. A private collector of many ships who goes on a few cruises and parties at sea. Your name wouldn't happen to be Larry, would it?"

The man grinned, standing up to put away his finished tea, "I see someone has done a bit of research. I can respect that. I would expect as much from the former Planeptune official that helped found the Azure Coast."

Thomas arched an eyebrow. "No need to worry," the captain laughed a little, "I like to do my research before setting off on a voyage. I am responsible for the ship and her crew, after all. I read up on the party while you all had your little break."

Thomas went to drink some more tea, trying to finish his cup. The captain continued, "I have to admit, that's quite a party. An all-star cast of the best fighters in Gamindustri. The CPUs and the candidates of the three nations. A CPU from another dimension. An older, revived CPU. And of course, two of Purple Heart's closest human friends. One a Guild Agent, the other a nurse."

Thomas bit his tongue, not wanting to sarcastically congratulate him for listing off the party members. The captain returned back to his seat, folding her hands over his lap, "You can only imagine my curiosity when I spotted one name sticking out like a sore thumb."

"I bet," Thomas finally spoke, setting aside the finished tea, "So was it just curiosity that brought me here?"

The captain leaned back, remaining poised but calm throughout, "Partly. Actually, this is more to check on behalf of the people who got me this opportunity."

"Is that so?" Thomas said with a small tilt of his head, "If that is the case, what does LSN want with me?"

The captain hardened his expression, sitting straight up, "Answers, mainly. Your involvement in this group has caused a stir among the higher-ups. These's a few questions surrounding your involvement."

Thomas sighed, a little irritated. The captain's face cracked a smile, and he laughed, "Haha, no, it isn't what you think. Look, I'm not apologizing for saying I agreed to this just so I can be with the goddesses for a spell, so I can understand."

"Of course I'd be seen in that light," Thomas rolled his eyes, "It has nothing to do that." He then paused, "Hold a second, did you just admit-"

"Hahaha, what can I say? I have a soft spot for the ladies," Larry said unapologetically, "Waifus for laifu and all that. Say, did you take a look at the figurehead on this ship? The person who made that was an excellent crafter."

"Oh, uh, yeah, got a good look at that, I can see the attention to detail," Thomas said with a visible wince. He then muttered incomprehensibly to himself, probably along the lines of why he ends up meeting such people like Larry.

"I knew you were a man of culture," the captain said happily, before returning to his stoic expression, "In all seriousness, however, the questions are more surrounding your recent history, in light of what people do know about you."

Thomas blinked, "What exactly do you mean? I don't think I'm a really interesting subject."

"Really?" Larry said in a disbelieving tone, "Because both myself and LSN beg to differ. Like I said before, I did some research before this trip. Talked to a few people that knew you professionally during your time in Planeptune and the Azure Coast. I admit, what they said, not too remarkable. There was **one** thing that stood out, though. Can you take a guess as to what these people said?"

Thomas remained silent for a beat, not willing to guess. "No? Alright, I'll tell you, then," the captain went on, "A man who would run and avoid conflict. Always calls for adventurers before traveling to another city. A bit of a scaredy-cat. A coward."

There was another pause, as the captain stood up from his seat to straighten his uniform. He sighed a bit, "Painted a different picture from what I saw just recently. Quite a drastic change, to go from a supposed coward to rushing right through an enemy."

Thomas sweatdropped, "O-oh! You saw that, huh?"

"I did say 'man overboard'," the captain noted, "That was a rather reckless move."

Thomas laughed nervously, "Well, to be honest, th-that was mostly because of my stomach."

"Yes, yes, so I've heard," the captain said, "Still, it is a bit of a surprise you even went at all. I warned everyone else to fall back and let the CPUs handle this. Yet, even when you didn't know what was ahead, you joined in." He then asked bluntly, "Why?"

Thomas frowned briefly, but tried to keep some composure. "Before you answer," the captain held a hand up, "I did hear about this 'resonance'. I am sure it is a useful boost for the goddesses. However, that doesn't explain why you would act so aggressively. I am not even referring to that last fight either. Apparently you were seen fighting a strange robotic owl, after successfully infiltrating the Land Carrier?"

Thomas rubbed the back of his neck, "Believe me, I don't have much in the way of answers there. I'm not sure what exactly we are fighting."

"Regardless, that's quite a change from you have been normally described," the captain said, "So, what brought about this change? Is there any particular reason?"

Thomas looked up at the captain, who was waiting for any sort of response, and there was yet another uncomfortable moment of silence. Thomas slipped his hand away from his neck, and, eventually, spoke, "I want this crisis to end."

"Elaborate," the captain ordered, though quickly added in a more polite tone, "I mean, please elaborate."

Thomas grimaced, folding his arms across his chest, "It's as I said. I want this crisis to end. I want Gamindustri to have some semblance of peace, and I can't just stand by. Not anymore, anyway... If that means pushing myself to such lengths, then I will."

The captain stared down at the man, before shaking his head, muttering, "Is it really just that? I wonder..." He then refocused his gaze at Thomas, pointing at him, "Let me give you some advice. Do not overexert yourself. You might have been lucky before, but you cannot rush out there on your own. You may end up hurting yourself."

"Like that matters..." Thomas murmured under his breath.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," the captain frowned, "This is not simply for your sake. If something were to happen to you, how will the others react?"

Thomas quietly fumed. The captain turned, taking Thomas' finished tea cup to put away. "Just keep that in mind. I don't know how you and the others are getting along, but perhaps it would better if you hold back just a little on the heroics?"

This hit more at home with Thomas, who briefly widened his eyes before regaining his composure, "I... I'll try."

At this, the captain sighed, deflating his composure, "Well, alright. I suppose that will have to do for now. That's all I have to ask. You're free to go."

Thomas blinked in surprise, "R-really?"

The captain shrugged, "I don't know if what you said will satisfy those at LSN, but it doesn't matter that much to me. We all have our reasons for doing what we do. I just wanted to personally see who this one person adventuring with the goddesses was. Some luck you have, huh?"

"Yes... luck..." Thomas sweatdropped.

"By the way, no hard feelings on that conversation earlier with Noire?" the captain grinned, "I figured Lady Noire wanted to question why we had those weapons on board. I know she was concerned about the wildlife out there, but she usually has trouble expressing herself."

"Uh, yeah, so I've seen," Thomas was not sure how to take this.

"I do enjoy making her fluster," the captain admitted with a small laugh, "It's just so adorable."

Thomas hummed softly, trying not to think about the motivations behind Larry's actions.

"Oh!" The captain just remembered something, as he snapped out of his momentary bliss, "One more thing, before you go, I have to ask. I hear your supposed 'resonance' runs on faith of the goddesses. Do you really trust all of them that much?"

"Yes," Thomas answered, rather quickly, as if he didn't have to give it much thought.

This gave Larry some pause, before adding, "Really? You trust them so implicitly?"

"Absolutely," Thomas responded in a sharp tone, again giving Larry some pause.

"Okay," the captain grew intrigued by this, "I mean, I like them all but isn't there any sort of doubt in the back of your mind?"

"What are you getting at?" Thomas asked.

The captain broke back into a stoic expression, thinking about how to form his next question. "The history of Gamindustri hasn't been kind to the rest of us," the captain started, "And as much as the CPUs have helped us, you can't deny the conflicts that we've all been dragged into over the years."

"Are you saying that this is all their fault?" Thomas grew more irritated by where this was going, moreso than when the captain was asking about his own history.

"No, not at all," the captain shook his head, "What I **am** saying is that their actions have led to consequences that have not all been positi-"

To the captain's surprise, Thomas immediately stood up from his seat, stomping one foot forward and clenching a fist. The move was so sudden that it shook the nearby seat, and even shook the entrance door open a little. "No, I refuse to accept this!" Thomas exclaimed, frustrated. After taking a deep breath in, Thomas went on, "Whatever mistakes have been made, that does not mean that whatever happened then rests at their feet. They were just as much affected as all of us! To simply throw the responsibility of it all on them is... is just wrong, alright?"

"Oh?" Larry raised his brows, before going to his follow-up question, "How much do you really know about the CPUs? I don't mean their personalities, I mean how much of their history do you truly know?"

"What does it matter?" Thomas fumed.

To his surprise, the captain shot back with a stern look, "It sure as hell matters right now. You, Thomas, are in a party with the CPUs facing off against this entire firewall crisis. If whatever caused this crisis was a response to the CPUs, you and the others better be sure this doesn't happen again. That means finding out the cause and fixing it, even if it delves into something uncomfortable. In other words, Thomas, you better brush up on that history. Just don't be surprised when you come across something you may not like."

Thomas stayed quiet, taking all of that in to mind. Though he had done a lot of reading and research on much of Gamindustri, and even with all of the times he spent with some of the goddesses, there was still much he didn't know. It was just as important to know about the CPUs and their role in shaping Gamindustri just as much as finding out who the bad guys were behind the firewall.

Realizing he raised his voice and was rather abrupt earlier, Thomas slowly bowed his head, "I shall take my leave now. I apologize for the sudden outburst. Thank you for the tea."

The captain nodded, "It is alright. Just think about what we've talked about. Be careful out there."

Thomas hummed an affirmative, and turned to leave. The captain chuckled a bit to himself, as the self-styled Admiral was fascinated with what he had learned so far. "So devoted, yet he still knows little," he muttered.

Thomas left quickly, turning immediately to his left to head out back to the main deck to take a breather. He needed to mull over a few things in his mind.

Meanwhile, to the right of the open door, there was a person standing there who overheard the last few moments of the conversation. Of course, it just had to be someone whose past was still a mystery to Thomas. This person, who had learned much about Thomas' past so far, snooping around and asking others behind his back, didn't even call out the man who left in a hurry. She wasn't even trying to listen in when she was passing by.

A stunned Uzume Tennouboshi stood in the middle of the hall, thoughts running through her head, before looking down to her own outstretched hand.


	61. ACT IV: Old Friendship

**("No excuse for this delay. I just got lazy. Bad author! Bad! In any case, please enjoy this little chapter! The main storyline will pick up soon, but I guess I can't help but add more fluff. So here's some fluff!" - A silly author)**

* * *

 **Chirper event detected!**

 **IF's icon appeared with the message: "Damnit Nep, I'm an adventurer, not a healer!"**

* * *

Below deck, in one of the empty rooms, some of the party had gathered to lounge for a while. Rom and Ram decided to do some drawings this time around, setting papers and crayons on the floor around them. Blanc was seated nearby, keeping an eye on her sisters while opening up her latest read. The book she chose this time was fictional tale of three soldiers banding together to prevent a fiendish plot to assassinate the queen of their realm.

Meanwhile, Nepgear sat on the other side of the room, tinkering a little with her saber's hilt. Neptune held her hands behind her back, standing behind Nepgear and watching curiously. She was watching Nepgear, not what exactly she was doing. Neptune wasn't interested in modifying her weapons. She just wanted to watch Nepgear's expressions change as she tinkered away.

Two new people entered into the room, one after another. IF was first, opening the door and waving hello to the Nep sisters, before quietly moving over to take a look at what Rom and Ram were drawing, politely waving a hand to the Lowee girls. Coming in a little later was Uni, who took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders, before slumping over to take a seat next to Nepgear, "Hey Neptune, Nepgear. Mind if I crash here for a spell? Noire's taking over for lookout, so I'm taking a break."

"Hi Uni!" Nepgear looked up to her friend with a cheery smile, "I don't mind at all! I'm just working on the hilt of my blade here. You're welcome to watch!"

"Oh, really?" Uni asked, seeming to take some interest, "Are you working on a more comfortable grip, or are you looking to add a more personalized look to it?"

"Initially I was just thinking of the former," Nepgear responded, holding the blade out gently with both of her hands to show to Uni, "But then I kept thinking about what other things I could do. I was thinking maybe I could add a knot or tassel at the end. What do you think?"

"I mean, it's your sword, Nepgear," Uni said with a mild shrug, "Though I never thought you so clumsy to lose your grip during a battle."

"Hehe," Nepgear giggled softly, "No, obviously the knot is more useful as a decorative piece. I wouldn't use just so I could keep from accidentally throwing it."

"I dunno, Nepgear," Neptune said, cutting into the conversation, "I know every time you have those motion controllers back home, you always made sure to secure the strap around your wrist."

"Oh yeah, she totally does!" Uni recalled on the times when she and Nepgear would play.

Nepgear laughed, "Well, I mean, that is the practical purpose of those things. Besides, the games always gave the warning. It's important to follow those safety precautions."

"Oh, Nepgear, sweet sister of mine!" Neptune said with some dramatics, "To be so innocent to follow every single safety warning."

"And yet," Uni decided now was a good time to bring something up, "In that battle with that Giant Squeed, Nepgear said something about... **that**."

Neptune grinned, catching on quickly, "Oh yeah? Something about good schoolgirls, wasn't it?"

Nepgear sweatdropped, "I don't know what you're talking about. Honest."

"Sure, Nepgear, sure," Uni said with a dismissive wave.

"Why are **you** acting like that? I'm actually old enough to-" Nepgear caught herself, "I mean, I have no idea what you're all saying."

"Uh huh," Uni said with a grimace. She was technically younger than Nepgear, but despite this, she would know what Nepgear was referring to in that weird pre-finisher speech.

Neptune shook her head, "This must be Vert's doing. I always knew she would be a bad influence on my dear old sister, corrupting her like that!"

"Bad influence, huh?" Uni's judging eyes turned on Neptune, "What's that I hear? The pot calling the ketlle black?"

This silly conversation, with Uni getting a chance to tease both Neptune and Nepgear, was overheard by the others. Rom glanced up from her drawing to ask, "Uh, what are miss Uni and miss Neptune talking about?"

"Just some nonsense, Rom," Blanc politely answered, "Ignore them."

"Probably something weird again," Ram piped up, "Whatever. Hey Rom, pass that red crayon over here."

"Right, here ya go, sis!" Rom complied, as the two resumed their drawings.

Meanwhile, IF remained quiet, looking up from the two drawing and staring ahead, though not at anything in particular. She was going through her mind, pondering a few things.

This was not unnoticed by Rom, who spotted the thoughtful Guild Agent at the corner of her eye. She set down her crayon, and sat straight up, looking up at IF, "Miss IF? Is something the matter?"

IF's eyes widened, and she looked back to Rom, "Hmm? Actually, I've been meaning to talk with you. Both you and Ram, to be exact."

Ram immediately stopped her drawing when she overheard that last sentence, "I heard my name! IF wants to speak with me! CPU candidate Ram is ready to hear your request!"

IF winced, "Woah there, don't get too excited, Ram. I just wanted to ask you two something. It's in relation to your magic."

"Oooh, is IF asking to become my second student?" Ram grinned wildly and hopped up in excitement, "I knew it! It was only a matter of time before others would want to learn from my awesomeness!"

"But, IF, you already know how to use magic," Rom said in surprise, "What happened? Did the demon giving you your dark powers leave you? Did it get exercised?"

"That's ex **or** cised, Rom," Blanc said in a calm tone, focusing more on her reading. Either Blanc wasn't expecting IF to ask something too weird, or she was getting to the part of the novel where the soldiers were in a hot pursuit of one of the villains.

"N-no, it's not like that," IF shook her head, before fidgeting, "W-wait, I mean to say, the demon doesn't... urgh, let me ask my question first! Sheesh!"

Ram giggled, "Ah, we were only teasing. Come on, IF, tell us!"

"Only teas-" IF bit her tongue, trying to collect herself, "Alright, alright. It's in relation to healing magic, to be exact."

"Ah!" Rom came to a realization, "It's about miss Compa, right?"

IF nodded slowly, putting a hand on her hip. Her eyes glanced away while she continued, "I'm not too familiar with white magic, and I'm no healer..."

"Gee, if I knew which spell could cure being seasick, I'd totally do it by now," Ram responded.

"I don't know of any spells," Rom shook her head, apologizing, "Sorry, miss IF."

IF frowned, as Blanc looked up from her book. "Seasickness isn't a status effect that could be cured by magic," Blanc spoke up, "At least, as far as I'm aware. It's something that Compa will have to overcome on her own."

IF closed her eyes, idly fixing her coat, "I see. Well, so much for that."

"No luck finding anything from the crew?"

"Nothing new, unfortunately, just some general advice," IF opened her eyes to see Neptune had just walked up beside her. Neptune left Uni and Nepgear alone to continue talking about their weapon mods. Despite the sudden question, IF was not too startled by Neptune.

"Darn, I was hoping we would come across some sage individual who would tell us the secrets of the sea," Neptune grumbled, "Or maybe set off a side quest where we would stop in some underwater dungeon."

Neptune proceeded to act, imitating a grizzly old sailor's voice, "From the depths of this underwater ruin lie a secret treasure! Aye, this secret cures whatever ails! Ancient diseases! The common cold! Indigestion! It may even cure the Blue Death!"

"That's just silly," IF muttered under her breath, before saying to Neptune, "Also, what's this 'we' stuff? I was the only one asking around."

"Neptune," Blanc could not help but chime in, "You've been here for much of the day." She placed a bookmark inside the novel she was reading, waving the book at Neptune, "I'm pretty sure I was more productive than you, and I was just reading this story."

"Oh, Blanc," Neptune said as she feigned offense, "To have wounded me so. I left Iffy to deal with gathering information because that's what she was good at. If she did come across a side quest or whatever, she'd be quick to let us know."

IF narrowed her eyes at her best friend, "Just admit you were being lazy."

"Why?" Neptune asked quizzically, "Besides, I already came up with a Plan B, in case you couldn't find any leads."

"I'm already suspicious," IF sweatdropped. Neptune having done little up to this point was setting up red flags in IF's mind.

Neptune laughed a bit, "Relax, Iffy, it's nothing crazy. We're just gonna go check up on Compa."

IF blinked, "O-oh? Well, I was going to check on her regardless." IF was expecting some weird scheme from Neptune, so she was a little relieved.

"Sounds good!" Neptune grew more enthusiastic, "I'm coming along! I'll explain what I have in store on the way."

Flinching, IF could feel a sense of... dread? No, that wasn't it. All she knew was that she most likely wasn't going to like whatever idea Neptune had. Neptune had more in mind than just visiting Compa, it seemed, as the CPU smiled, looking over and chatting a bit with the Lowee twins.

* * *

The ship wasn't rocking at much as it used to. At least, for Compa, it wasn't moving as much. Overhearing about the nurse's seasickness from crew members, the admiral offered a new room below deck for Compa to rest. The room being close to the center of the ship, it was hoped that there would be less movement, allowing Compa to recover sooner.

Compa sat herself down at her new bed. She wasn't feeling particularly great, but compared to the rocky start, this was progress. She took a few deep breaths, and paused to listen to the surrounding ambience. She could hear some of the waves crashing against the ship outside, but overall, it was very quiet.

The nurse winced. While she wasn't feeling so woozy, Compa wasn't too happy. It was awfully quiet. For Compa, this was not something she was used to. She had grown accustomed, over the years, to the noise and activity. It didn't matter if it was related to her work or her time spent with her friends, it was something that she was used to.

In truth, she was growing rather lonely while on this trip. She knew she shouldn't overexert herself while trying to overcome her ailment, and so far, she could feel some of her strength returning.

Nonetheless, she was missing out. She missed out on a giant boss battle, as well as the seafood feast that was held soonafter. IF brought some leftovers, thankfully, but it wasn't the same as being there. She wanted to be there to help, but more importantly, she just wanted to be with her friends. If it wasn't for the firewall, she would've preferred taking a flight on Air Neptune. Yes, she would still be a little sick afterwards, but it would be fast. She wouldn't be resting down here while everyone else was out. Much as Iffy would grumble, Compa kind of liked the noise and chaos that followed wherever Nep-Nep went.

Compa blinked, as she started to hear some noise outside her room. Either she was hearing things in the hopes of alleviating boredom, or something was going on just outside.

With a slow tilt of her head, she looked over at the door to her room. She listened carefully, trying to make out the muffled noise outside. It didn't take long for her to guess the two voices. She could make out Neptune's voice cheerfully urging someone on, before hearing IF's harsh rebuttal. Though she couldn't make out the words, but it was clear that Neptune was up to something.

Before Compa could react, the noise simmered down, with Neptune relenting, "Oh fine, but I'm doing this anyway!"

"Can you do this without making such a racket nearby?" IF complained, "Just let me handle this."

Compa blinked as she then heard a light tap on the door. The nurse was curious, so she responded rather quickly, "Come in! Iffy? Nep-Nep? What's going on?"

IF could be heard sighing a bit, before she slowly opened the door, peeking her head inside, "Hey Compa. Sorry about the noise. Nep and I wanted to check up on you. Is it okay for us to come in?"

"Of course!" Compa smiled weakly, "I'm feeling a bit better than earlier, so don't worry. Please, come in!"

"You sound better already," IF said as she moved inside the room, though leaving the door only slightly ajar, "I guess we didn't have to worry, after all."

Compa giggled briefly, "No, Iffy. I was feeling a little lonely down here. I was really happy to hear you two out there."

"See, Iffy?" Neptune called out, "Compa misses her best friends dearly! Of course she would! And that is why I went to the trouble of getting this together!"

IF sweatdropped, while Compa kept her head tilted. "Get what together?" Compa asked, as one could imagine question marks appearing above her head.

Neptune seized the moment, taking the time to make her grand entrance. Opening the door fully, Neptune walked in, making with a silly, cute pose, holding one of Compa's giant needles. Gone was the traditional hoodie and the striped stockings, as Neptune decided to put on a light purple nurse's uniform, complete with cap.

"Nurse Nep is here to help her best friend!" Proclaimed the CPU, as IF slowly facepalmed. Ignoring IF, Neptune soon looked down at the giant weapon she was holding, "Uh, no need for shots, though. Let's just put that away!" Neptune quietly put away the old weapon into her inventory, and clapped her hands together. She moved closer to the two, and cheerily explained, "Allllllright! Seeing as how you've always been around to help us when we're down, I think it's time we helped you! Ain't that right, Nur-... oh, right, **Not** Nurse Iffy didn't want to play along. I even had an extra costume ready."

IF turned beet red, glaring at Neptune, "Leave me out of your fanservice ideas, Nep. I'm not here to play nurse."

"Suit yourself," Neptune shrugged, before beaming a smile over at Compa, "I meant what I said. Compa's been helping support us for the longest time as a best friend and teammate. With that said... where does it hurt the most? I made sure to have bandages with me. We'll take down this seasickness by any means necessary!"

Compa laughed meekly, "Haha, I appreciate the effort you're putting into the cosplay, Nep-Nep, but bandages aren't going to help here."

"Really?" Neptune tilted her head a bit, "Not even a tiny sore spot anywhere?" Compa shook her head slowly.

"Nep, you **do** know what seasickness is, right?" IF asked the question, having a feeling that the goddess may not have done her research.

"Uh, of course I do!" Neptune exclaimed, "I am playing the role of a medical professional! It's in my job description to know these things!"

IF sighed, "That's not how that works. At all."

Compa giggled, "Nep-Nep, it's just motion sickness. Remember the times I get dizzy whenever you fly me around? It's like that."

"Ohhh, riiiight," Neptune came to the realization, before catching herself, "I mean, yeah, sure! I knew that! That would explain why Iffy was asking around the ship about it."

IF grimaced a little, as Compa turned with a quizzical look on her face. IF turned the topic back on Neptune, "Well, since you know so much about it, Miss Nurse, why don't you share with us the secret to beating seasickness? Is there a magic cure?"

"W-w-well, I would answer those questions, but I think the actual professional should provide us with her wealth of knowledge," Nurse Nep answered by deflecting the question over to Compa.

"Sorry to disappoint, uh, both of you," Compa said, "There's no quick cure. I am happy to tell you both that I'm feeling a little better. I just need a little more time. Hopefully, I won't miss anything else."

IF decided now was a good time to sit beside her best friend, keeping some distance away while she tried to get comfortable on the seat, moving her coat. IF turned to smile a bit, "We're glad to hear it, Compa. Just try to push yourself too hard to come back before you're ready, though."

"That's right," Neptune added, as she looked through her inventory for some other things, "There will always be an extra party member slot reserved for you. I am sure the others agree, too! That's why I picked up some things to give."

Compa raised her eyebrows, curious to what Neptune was up to now, "Give? What kind of things, Nep-Nep?"

IF muttered, "Oh, it's not a whole bunch. Neptune was just hanging around Rom and Ram while they were drawing."

"Nep?" Neptune blinked, "Well, I guess I can do that first, sure! Hold on. Annnnd, here we go!" The fake nurse pulled out several pieces of paper to offer to Compa, "The Lowee girls made these little pictures, hoping to cheer you up."

Neptune handed the pictures over to Compa, who looked down to look at the drawings, flipping slowly through each. IF looked over Compa's shoulder to look, as well. The first few drawings were simple, showing their attempts at drawing a ship at sea. While Rom's drawing had a small vessel floating by some large, friendly whales, Ram's was an action-oriented scene of two pirate ships firing cannons at each other, while sharks swam around. Despite the two having similar artistic skill, they have different ways of expressing their talent.

Compa looked between the two drawings, before musing to herself, "Even the drawings have more going on."

IF smirked, as Neptune chimed in, "The girls were happy to offer some drawings. These were just two they did before I asked. The others have you in it! I think!"

Compa flipped to the next set. Sure enough, Neptune was correct, as the drawings both offered Compa well-wishes. Rom's drawing was an attempt at showing a smiling Compa in the middle of a group of her friends. There's even a few dogoos thrown in for good measure, recalling the earlier time of Compa helping out then. Ram's picture showed Compa's more aggressive side, showing Compa smashing down a nondescript robot with her giant syringe. Ram also added some more shade and squiggly lines to show Compa as the 'combat nurse', taking down the baddies while helping out.

"A story of two Compas," IF joked at the different pics, "Though I have seen both of these Compas at some point."

"Eheh," Compa laughed meekly, "I don't know if I'm like what Ram drew, but it is a nice drawing."

"Oh, speaking of two Compas," Neptune added, once more looking through her inventory, "I was just wandering around the ship much earlier in the day, before chillaxing, and came across Plutie." She paused a moment, before unveiling the surprise, "Ta-da!" Holding her hands out, Neptune showed three familiar-looking plushies, "Plutie made a bunch of these during my time in Ultradimension. I figured you might feel a bit lonely without us around, so I brought you Iffy, Nep-Nep, and Ge-Ge in plush form! To be fair, this Iffy plush is based more on the one over in her dimension..."

"Yeah, the similarity is uncanny," IF winced a bit, "If I didn't know better, this could've been based on me."

Compa's eyes lit up, taking the together and smothering them in a little hug, "Oh, it's so cute and squishy! And you're right, the Iffy one does look so similar."

"I know, right?" Neptune nodded, before taking out another plush from her inventory, "I mean, here's one of our dear Compa. Well, the one in the other dimension. Also looks very much like the one here. It's like they have the same 3d model or something."

"I'm going to ignore that," IF remarked at Neptune's last comment, "Anyway, mind if I take a look?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sure!" Neptune said with a quick toss of the Compa plush to IF, who easily caught it and gave it a look-over. Compa even leaned over to take notice.

Neptune then snapped her fingers, "Uh oh! I forgot something important! Iffy, keep an eye on the patient! I'll be back in a little while! Later!"

"Huh, what are you-" IF couldn't even finish her sentence as Neptune bolted out quickly. "Just like that, she runs off." IF sighed, "She's running around on the ship in that getup, too, isn't she?"

"Probably," Compa said lightly.

"That girl must be incapable of shame," IF murmured, settling the Compa plush on her lap, while Compa herself leaned on her friend's side.

"Possibly," Compa answered in the same tone as before, turning her focus back to the plushies. Looking to the one resembling her, she brought up the IF plush go side-by-side, "How do you think they're, er, we're... uhhh... how are the ones in the other dimension doing?"

IF pondered a moment, "Oh? I imagine they're doing fine. Probably keeping an eye on Peashy or whatever is considered 'normal' at their Planeptune."

Compa giggled softly, "Hehe. If I remember, those two were raised by Plutia and Nep-Nep along with Peashy."

"That's somewhat frightening to think about, actually," IF admitted, thinking about Plutia and Neptune raising them from childhood. Even though IF and Compa of the Ultradimension turned out similar to their Hyper counterparts, there were differences.

"Weird to think of Nep-Nep as someone other than a CPU or childhood friend, huh?" Compa asked.

"Well, that too," IF said with a wry smile, "The two of us being raised by Neptune?"

Compa hummed, thinking on it, before adding, "The two of us? I wonder, do they think of themselves as friends or sisters?"

"S-sisters?" IF's eyes widened at this, "I-I don't think so, at least from the time I talked to my counterpart. They seem to regard each other like friends."

"Oh," Compa said, being quiet for a moment. IF blinked at Compa's reaction, before noticing she was trying to steady herself next to IF.

"Still a bit woozy?" IF picked up on this. Compa nodded a little, setting the other plushies down nearby, leaning on her friend for support.

IF checked on her inventory, and pulled out a small can, "Maybe this'll help. Here."

"Hmm?" Compa paused, before looking at the offered can, "Soda?"

"Ha, well, I tried to find anything to help earlier," IF explained, "but no real luck. I did speak with Thomas earlier. He said this was what he would go with at times he felt nauseous at sea. Don't know if it'll work for you, though."

"It might," Compa muttered, accepting the drink, "Thanks, Iffy."

IF smirked, "Hey, what are friends for? Just don't drink too much. Wouldn't want you to get addicted to this stuff."

"I won't," Compa said as she shifted comfortably, checking her drink.

IF sighed quietly, and relaxed her shoulders, though tried to remain upright for Compa's sake. For a long while, there was silence, except for Compa taking some sips of the soda. IF placed her hands in her lap, adjusting the Compa plushie there to face up at her. IF arched an eyebrow at the amount of detail Plutia put into it. It was strange enough for her when she met with her Ultradimension counterpart, but to think of there being another Compa, and the relationship those two shared. Was it truly the same?

"Thinking about keeping it?" Compa teased IF after finishing a sip.

"Depends, are you planning on keeping the one of me?" IF said in response.

"It's not you, though," Compa noted simply, "Though you're both so nice and comfy. Can I keep you both?" IF rolled her eyes, to which Compa giggled.

After another sip, Compa looked on ahead, recalling from memory, "Iffy? Do you remember when we were in grade school?"

"My memory's not that bad, Compa," IF remarked, "But yeah, I have plenty of memories of that."

Compa closed her eyes to recall, "Of course, how silly of me! I mean, do you remember that time, in... umm, fifth grade, was it? It was beginning of school, but I wasn't feeling too well."

"Oh yeah," IF said as she looked from the plush to the real-life Compa resting on her side, "You were coming down with a pretty bad cold."

Compa hummed in agreement, "Hmm. I was trying to be brave at first, but the moment you found out, you told me to go rest at home."

"Strange to see someone **want** to go to school," IF added.

Compa pouted a little, "I like going, especially when all of my friends are there!" She sighed, "I stayed that day before the weekend. My parents were busy at work and so I spent the day alone, resting in bed for the most part. I knew it was just a cold, but it was very lonely, and I was miserable."

After a beat, Compa continued, "I remember the next day, though. Apparently someone was still worried about me and came to visit."

IF shrugged a little, then admitted, "I felt kinda bad telling you to go back home. I wanted to make up for some lost time."

Compa giggled softly, putting away the half-drunk soda can before getting back to her seat, "I know. It was really sweet of you to check on me then, although you attempting to make me chicken soup..."

"Well excuse a fifth grader like me for not figuring out how to cook early on! Thankfully your parents were around to help out," IF said with a small blush.

Compa turned her head to IF, "But I was happy to have company! When I saw you offering the soup to me, you had the cutest smile. I remembered it so clearly. I was already feeling so much better!"

"I wasn't doing a whole lot," IF muttered.

"No, you were!" Compa retorted, "I'm grateful for my family being there for me. Grandma even came by to make some of her special ginger honey tea. It was all so nice. But seeing you there, a friend, come over to check on me, was the sweetest thing."

IF's cheeks reddened a tad more, "Okay, okay. I get it. What brought this on, Compa?"

"I... I just am happy you're here again with me, Iffy," Compa said happily, leaning once more, "It's one of the many reasons I became a nurse. Just to be there when people need help, you know?"

"I can understand," IF said with a small nod, before messing a bit with Compa's hair, "I'll always rush to your side if you need me, Compa." She then winced, "That line I said now just sounded so cheesy."

Compa giggled, as the two shared some quiet time together. Compa relaxed while IF put her hands back on her lap, kicking her feet back and forth. Just as IF's cheeks returned to normal, and the two seemed to be completely relaxed, Compa quietly whispered, "I bet you would've looked real cute in that nurse costume."

"Oh, shut up," IF muttered back in protest.

Before Compa could further tease, however, the door to their room reopened, and Neptune returned, "Hey girls! I'm back! Phew! Sorry about leaving like that."

"Welcome back, Nep-Nep!" Compa said cheerfully.

"Did you just run around the ship in that get-up?" IF asked, partly teasing her ditzy friend.

"Hmm? Oh, so I did," Neptune shrugged, "Eh, not the first or last time I've worn strange things in public. Anywho! Compa, lookee what I brought!"

"Huh?" Compa blinked, leaning up from IF to see that Neptune brought. Sure enough, it was a plate with Neptune's favorite thing ever, pudding, being served.

Neptune smiled happily, "I figured, you've made so much pudding for yours truly, that I would give it a shot! I had to borrow the kitchen for a while, and the people there were kinda confused, but eventually I managed to get what I need to make this."

Compa's eyes widened in shock. It wasn't that that she was shocked that Neptune would go to such trouble for one of her best friends. No, it was just that she was heavily reminded, again, of that time IF came to see her in sixth grade. Right down to the cute smile.

Compa's emotions bubbled upwards, resulting in a few tears slowly going down her cheeks. Neptune, seeing this, immediately panicked, "Compa? Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh? Compa?" IF was a little confused, turning to see a teary Compa.

Just then, Compa opened her arms and grabbed the two of her friends, embracing them in a tight hug, "You two are the best friends I've ever had! Nep-Nep! Iffy! I love you two so much! Thank you!"

"Urgh, no problem! We love you too, Compa!" Neptune said in a pained tone. Compa's grip was tight, and the CPU was barely able to set down the pudding plate down next to Compa, along with the rest of the things Compa was given. "I didn't think it was that amazing..." Neptune said while trying to get some air.

"She's just being very sentimental right now," IF said to Neptune, in similar pained tone.

Compa sobbed a little between the two, but kept her death hug on tightly. Although she was still a bit woozy from her seasickness, she was already feeling much better.


	62. ACT IV: New Friendship

**("Personal things, sans the usual, came up of late, so that was a big delay. However, things are being sorted out, so I'm starting to write again. I don't want to bore people with my personal life anyway, so here is the next chapter.**

 **Also, I know it's been over 60 chapters, but I think you should know there's major spoilers for VII up ahead. Then again, there's major spoilers for a lot of the Neptunia games, so apologies for not saying so in Chapter 1. Whoops!" - The rather late author.)**

* * *

Once more, Noire tossed back one of her twintails, trying to get it back in a comfortable position. Ever since she had taken over lookout from Uni, she felt the breeze pick up. On the plus side, it wasn't terribly windy, yet it was enough to bother Noire every now and then. She was standing on top of the captain's deck, standing behind a few railings as she looked across the waters.

Sometimes, however, she would look over to see what was happening on the main deck. She could spot where Plutia was sleeping just further away, with the hammock she was lying in rocking thanks to the wind. Look around, Noire could see several of the ship's crew moving about their duties, with only one person really running, apparently heading below deck. Aside from that, things looked rather peaceful. However, Noire couldn't spot anyone else from the party. Apparently, everyone went down below for whatever reason.

At least, that was what Noire would've told herself before she could spot some red hair flowing nearby. Looking down by the ladder she climbed to reach this part of the ship, Noire could see Uzume slowly pop her head up, curiously looking about. Noire quickly turned her head back to the front, trying to maintain some level of composure.

"Honestly..." Noire muttered. After taking a deep breath to relax herself, Noire glanced over, still seeing Uzume lingering by, and spoke out, "Are you planning to stand on the ladder this whole time?"

Uzume flinched, coming out of her distraction back to reality, and laughed nervously, "Haha, my bad! I was just going up for some sight-seeing. Mind if I join you?"

"I don't mind," Noire said with a small gesture of her hand, "I-it's just so you wouldn't block the way up or down, th-that's all."

Uzume blinked at Noire, slightly tilting her head at her, "Oh? If you say so!" With a quick hop up, Uzume left the ladder to stand beside Noire, leaning on the railing and looking ahead.

Noire looked away briefly, her eyes darting about trying to resume her lookout. "You really are just sight-seeing, huh?" Noire muttered softly.

"Yeah!" Uzume said cheerfully, "I've been enjoying the trip so far. If it wasn't for this whole matter of saving the world, I would've loved to have gone on a sea voyage like this! It's kind of relaxing, you know?"

Noire nodded slowly, "I guess so. I have seen you moving around the ship like a doe-eyed kid."

Uzume laughed once more, rubbing the back of her neck with a hand, "That obvious, huh? I couldn't help myself."

With a small smile, Noire replied, "That's not a problem at all. If you like, when this is all over, I could arrange for a more relaxing trip on the sea."

"You would?" Uzume chirped, being a little excited, "Alright, but be ready for when I take you up on that offer!" She then grinned, a thought coming up to her, "You got any pirate ships or old timey vessels I can borrow?"

"Old timey?" Noire blinked, "Ah, well, I'll see what I can do. Maybe the captain's got one ship in his fleet he could lend."

"Awesome!" Uzume pumped her fist briefly, before dipping into a daydream, "It'd be totally cool to search for hidden treasures. Maybe even find a hidden continent filled with mystical creatures! Then, Uzume will take the treasure all home and be the greatest adventurer ever! Ooh, Uzume can totally be the Queen of the Sea!"

"Uh, Uzume?" Noire cleared her throat with a small cough, "You're doing **it** again."

"Oh!" Uzume snapped back to reality, pulling herself back, "Uh, yeah, thanks. I got carried away again, huh?"

"I-it's alright," Noire said, shrugging it off, "Actually, I'm glad. I appreciate the upfront honesty."

"Thanks, Noirsy," Uzume smiled, before thinking back on Noire's last sentence. Her smile faded a little, as she murmured, "Upfront, huh? Well, we can't always be like that, sometimes."

"What are you talking about?" Noire said in a more defensive tone, "I'm always upfront about everything! I am the most honest goddess in all of Gamindustri! In any dimension!"

"Ha, relax, Noirsy," Uzume shook her head, "Besides, I get the feeling I have to level with ya. Earlier when you and the others were chatting at the mess-"

"Oh, that? I wouldn't pay too much attention," Noire came back to her senses, "Those two girls always try to make anything into a competition. In any case," she took a deep breath, before exhaling in her next sentence, "I knew what you and Plutia were doing before, asking about what was going with me and Thomas back there."

Uzume visibly winced, as though she actually took a physical hit, "Oomph, you knew?"

"I kinda had a feeling early on, when Plutia was suddenly hanging around me during our trip back in Lastation," Noire said, recalling as her eyes rolled back, "It became more obvious by the time we all had that hotel briefing." She sighed, "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I'll also apologize to Plutia later. I did snap at her for prying in. I thought everyone knew, but you two probably had no clue."

Uzume nodded slowly, and Noire smiled wryly. "I did peek into you two talking with Nepgear and Uni about it, though, so there was that. If anything, that memory jogging did help me on my way to patching things up a little. So, I can't really say I am mad about you two being snoops."

Uzume blushed a bit, "Uh, well, we can call it all a wash and leave it at that."

"Y-yeah, no need to go any deeper into that," Noire said. The two realized it probably would've been more awkward if they asked more into what transpired, and neither was looking forward to that prospect.

"Let's switch it up with the topic," Uzume quickly spoke afterwards, wanting to move on, "I like to ask you something else, if you don't mind."

"Sure," Noire replied, "Not that I don't mind the company or anything. I just think it'll keep us two from getting too bored looking at this stupid firewall." Noire inwardly probably thought of all that time she spent in Lastation looking at the barrier surrounding her city.

"I like to ask you about me, actually," Uzume said simply.

"E-excuse me?" Noire started to fluster a bit. Noire had hoped she wouldn't get personal with the next topic so soon after that last one. It also didn't help that her mind thought of possible scenarios involving what Uzume wanted to ask. All those TV show scripts she's been reading of late didn't help her either, I bet.

Uzume caught onto Noire's reaction, as she could tell when someone else's imagination was running. Uzume's blush intensified briefly, but she tried to play it cool, keeping some composure, "No no no, let me try again. I like to learn more about what your nation thinks about me."

Noire blinked, letting the question simmer in her mind before she could finally react. "What is it you want to know, exactly?" Noire asked the first question that came up.

"Ah! Well, you know, ever since that whole getting revived thing, I've been going all around Gamindustri. Getting reacquainted, you know?" Uzume started her explanation, waiting briefly as Noire followed along with a nod. "I even went and visited the other nations for a spell. Up until this whole firewall thing, everything was going pretty well, and I met many people who were happy to see another goddess back. At least, from the people I've talked to."

Uzume idly rubbed the back of her neck as she continued, "So, what I'm getting at, is what have you heard from other people when you go around your nation? Has there been much talk about me in that time?"

Noire paused, trying to recall if she ever really spoke about Uzume in her official dealings with the people of her nation. "I don't usually go asking about the other goddesses to people back home, you know," Noire said with a small glance away.

In this, she was mostly truthful. Whenever Neptune would get on her nerves, and she was good at finding a way, Noire would bring her up to others, usually as an excuse to vent. However, this wasn't that common, and she would mostly keep that sort of thing to Uni, who knew more about the inner workings of Planeptune, or some of the people who worked at her Basilicom. She wasn't going to complain about Neptune to some random person at the Lastation market. At least, she didn't think she would... unless she was **really** annoyed. That didn't happen **that** often, right?

"Oh! Maybe I should've asked Uni instead," Uzume said in an apologetic tone, "I'm guessing you didn't have many to talk to since you're all business-like back home."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Noire complained, "I can talk casually with my own citizens! I-I have plenty of contacts! And friends!"

"Uh, yeah, I believe you, Noirsy! Really!" Uzume said, trying to sound believable, but not quite getting that across.

"Urgh, whatever," Noire shook her head. After a moment to compose herself, she continued, "I can't say I heard much about what people in my nation said about you, but from what I did hear, it was fairly positive."

"Really?" Uzume perked a little, curious.

Noire frowned a little, but continued anyway, "Well, I mean, it's mostly how there's another goddess to compete with. Still, the people who once knew you then remember with a certain fondness or nostalgia, and those who didn't are just curiously optimistic about you." She glanced away once more, not wanting to make direct eye contact, "I did remember one person I talked to thinking you seemed pretty cool."

"Alright!" Uzume grinned happily at that, "Glad to hear someone who gets me like that. Wait!" She caught herself from getting too excited over being considered 'cool', and cleared her throat, "Ahem. A-anyway, I'm asking because, I dunno, how much do they really know about me, you know?"

Noire looked momentarily puzzled, "What do you mean, how much?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Uzume said with a small huff, "I'm talking about what I did. I wasn't really a saint the whole time."

Noire crossed her arms, "Uzume, I can't say with certainty if everyone knew of all that happened, but even if they did, it doesn't change anything."

"How can you be so sure?" Uzume asked, before stopping to look behind her and check if anyone was around to overhear this conversation.

While Uzume was making sure no one else was listening, Noire answered, "It was all a long time ago."

"I don't mean when I was CPU," Uzume countered, looking back to Noire, "I mean all the things more recently. The delusional monsters, the dark CPUs, rewriting history, messing with people's minds, their dreams, everything. 'I' nearly brought all of Gamindustri to ruin and despair."

Noire was about to interject, but Uzume was quick to add, "I know what you might say, Noirsy, but that was all me. I know you referred to 'me' as Kurome, but ultimately that was still Uzume Tennouboshi. I do have all of 'her' memories, after all. Would these people who thought so fondly of their CPU think the same if they heard about what 'I' almost succeeded at?" She muttered, in a side aside to herself, "I'm still surprised all of you have been so nice to me..."

Noire waited a moment to see if Uzume would cut in again. Eventually, Noire answered, "I said this already, it doesn't change anything. You did do all of those things then, but you also fought against them. The shares of those who believed in you ultimately helped us stop the dark CPUs, the delusional monsters, and all the other plans for revenge you as Kurome had."

Uzume paused, looking down at her right hand making a fist, "Yeah... it's weird to have memories of those two sides. I was literally fighting with myself, for my own life."

"And when Histoire said there was a chance to bring you back," Noire noted, "We all took that chance. Besides, you have been reborn, Uzume. All of us did offer you that second chance."

Uzume's blush grew and she leaned over the railing to see the people moving about on the front deck. She could make out Plutia's resting spot, and Thomas hanging around the front of the ship. "Uzume?" Noire turned and leaned over nearby, this time trying to make eye contact, "What brought this on, anyway? Are you worried about something?"

Uzume fidgeted nervously, "Well, uh, I've been thinking a lot recently. When I was reborn, I was so euphoric that I just wanted to see everything again with my eyes, and I've been so grateful for being able to do that. I've come down a little from that, and I got to thinking. The more I think about these things, the more I get worried."

Noire spoke gently, "You're worried you might do something bad again?"

"Yeah," Uzume muttered, "More like I'm worried that if I did something, people would just be reminded of why I sealed myself away to begin with. I'm worried that I might become too dangerous again. I might accidentally start hurting someone and everything goes down from there. Maybe this firewall started because of something like that, you know?"

Noire sighed, as the last part hit close to her, "You too, huh?"

Uzume blinked, her blush fading while she looked back at Noire. The Lastation goddess smiled weakly, "I guess it can't be helped. You weren't the only one worried. When those robots held my city hostage, I just stared at that barrier, going through everything that I did." She turned her head to look down at the deck, "I was second-guessing a lot of what I did. Maybe if I acted differently, then maybe this all wouldn't have happened."

"Noire..." Uzume said, this time without even referring to her by nickname.

"It took a while, and a little talking to, to snap me out of that," Noire stated, and looked back to Uzume, "You don't need to overthink everything, Uzume. Be honest with yourself. You're not going to start an evil plot for revenge on Gamindustri again, are you?"

"Well, no, but-" Uzume started, but this time it was Noire who cut her off. "Uzume, you have many people who care about you, just as there are for each of the other CPUs. Plus, with Neptune, Nepgear, and Histoire around, I'm sure you'll do fine."

Uzume raised her eyebrows, "Eh? Nepsy?"

Noire stood back from the railing, with Uzume following right after. Noire took a deep breath, holding a hand to her chest, "Look, Neptune can be a really lazy goddess, and a royal pain. But she's a great f-f-f... person! I mean, from what I know as a rival. Besides, I have more confidence in Nepgear and Histoire. Don't be afraid to look to them for help, or the rest of us. I can help, too. Just because we're from different nations, doesn't mean we can't be f-f-f..." Noire immediately locked up, struggling to say the world 'friend'. It's like a swear word to her or something.

Even Uzume was feeling a little nervous about the prospect, as she borrowed from Nepgear's tendency to fidget with her fingers. "F-f-friends?" Uzume's pitch increased, "Ooh, Uzume doesn't deserve friendship after all Uzume's done, but it's so super cool of you to offer, Noirsy!"

Noire stuttered some more, trying desperately to keep her composure, "Ah, I i-i-insist! I-it's no t-t-trouble at all! I-I-I mean, it would be n-n-nice if we can get to know each other more." Noire murmured softly, "You know, chat, hang out, play games, that sort of thing. Like normal people."

"O-of course!" Uzume exclaimed, as the two acted rather nervous around each other, "I-it's only natural!"

"R-r-really, I think you're pretty cool to have as a friend," Noire said with a small gulp, in an attempt to clear her throat, "You always seem to get along with everyone, and I don't know if I could ever pull off that free-spirited look of yours. I'm kinda jealous."

Uzume took the compliment pretty well, her cheeks reddening once more, "Haha, you think so?" Her voice returning to normal pitch, she smiled, "That means a lot coming from you. I'm really amazed by how confident you can get. That's some really good acting!"

Noire winced a little. While Uzume may have been complimenting her, the observation didn't sit too well. "Uh, well, it takes a lot of practice," Noire said in response, "And anyway, when it comes to fighting on the battlefield, I'm always confident."

"Oh, yeah! That's what I meant!" Uzume laughed, "I'm impressed by how well you can handle yourself in battle! You're like the coolest sword-fighter I know!"

"I am pretty good, aren't I?" Noire beamed, taking this compliment more to heart, "Maybe we should hang out a little more together. We can strive to become the, uh, coolest of friends?"

Uzume snorted a little at the bit at the end, "Uh, yeah, sure thing, Noirsy. I wouldn't mind that at all."

Well, congratulations, Noire. So that makes it, what, two friends you officially have now?

"You shut up!" Noire snapped quickly, looking beyond the fourth wall, "I definitely have more friends than that!"

"Oh, ignore the narrator," Uzume said with a dismissal, "He's just a bit grumpy since he hadn't been noticed much in the last several chapters."

Hey, I was just being quiet for the dramatic parts and, okay fine, I see where I'm not wanted. I'm gonna leave you two to be awkward for a while. Later!

* * *

Okay, let's see. While those two gush about about how cool each other are, let's go visit Thomas on deck. After the meeting he had with the captain, Thomas had been wandering aimlessly on the main deck of the ship, occasionally looking out to sea. It was likely that he had much on his mind, so much so that he stopped to put a hand to his forehead.

A headache. A mild one, but he had one, all the same. Sighing softly, Thomas moved his hand back through his short blonde hair, idly keeping it down while the wind was still going. He had hoped that the sea voyage would relax him a little. For a time, it was. As a matter of fact, he probably was surprised that he managed to get far into the voyage with such a happy disposition. He was in his element at sea, and he was even excited during his battle with the Giant Squeed. In the aftermath of that, even though he was tired from all the cooking, he was feeling pretty good, overall.

That meeting, however, brought him back down to facing reality. He knew it was going to happen at one point, but he was hoping it would be at least when he finally arrived in Leanbox.

Thomas moved his hand down to rub along his eyes and the bridge of his nose. He frowned as his frustration grew. Three of the four CPU nations had been liberated, and they have little to go on what their enemy truly was. What he did find out, however, was that he recognized one of the robot designs. Only one, though, and it was that stupid clockwork owl that attacked him. He couldn't be sure if it was truly aligned with the invaders, but it felt like no coincidence. He was certain that he would know more at the Azure Coast, where he first saw that creature.

For now, though, he had to focus on the task at hand. He brought his hand down as his mild headache faded. He was still feeling a little tired, but he felt like he wasn't going to get much sleep at the moment.

Looking behind him, he caught a glimpse of Plutia laying stomach-first in the hammock, snoozing comfortably. Turning his body to see the peaceful CPU, Thomas grumbled, "Some people have all the luck. I wish I could get some good sleep like that."

Plutia murmured incoherently, as though she was responding. However, that turned out to be nothing in the end, as she turned over in the hammock, still out there in sleepyland.

Thomas sighed softly, putting his hands on his hips and looking down. "There's no need to get jealous, Thomas," he scolded himself.

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Thomas' thoughts were interrupted by a voice shouting from the top of the captain's deck. Turning his head, he recognized the voice of the red-haired woman calling out.

Uzume, seeing a reaction, continued, "Tomsy! Get up here for a moment! I think we spotted something!"

Thomas slowly nodded and raised his hand to acknowledge that he heard, making his way over. As he did, Plutia started to stir awake.

"Hmm? Wha-? What's going on?" Plutia said quietly, not quite awake. While she was waking, a few of the sailors working on-deck looked up towards the loud voice.

"I'm pretty sure you could hear that voice from the other side of the ship," one stated to his colleague.

"That person certainly has a healthy pair of lungs," his partner added, as the two were busy dragging some supplies with them past Plutia, "Maybe instead of the captain using speakers, we could get her to do the announcements on the ship."

"I wouldn't mind that," the sailor conceded, "But I wouldn't want to strain her voice like that just for every announcement."

Plutia blinked, still in a groggy state and not quite aware of what was around her, "Mm? Who?"

 **"Attention crew! This is your captain speaking!"**

Echoing in Plutia's ears and rattling her out of her sleep, out of the hammock, and flopping to the floor was the voice coming from the speakers near where Plutia was sleeping.

 **"Would a clean-up crew please make their way to the mess down below? It seems like SOMEONE went through the kitchen like a tornado. If you know who it was... don't tell me, I have a pretty good idea who it was. Just get someone over there to clean it up. That is all."**

This was enough to finally wake Plutia up, much as she was not wanting to.

"Owie," was the meek response from the sleepy CPU, face becoming more acquainted with the deck floor.

* * *

Returning back to Uzume and Noire, Uzume held up a pair of binoculars with a goofy grin on her face. "I was prepared this time!" Uzume proclaimed, "After seeing Ifsy use one of these during our trip, I went and got a pair of my own! Pretty cool, right?"

"Uhhh, yeah," Noire said in an unsure tone, "It is convenient to have one of those around."

"Not just any pair, though!" Uzume said proudly, unveiling the, uh, unique look of the binoculars, "It's a pair that's shaped like a fish! It's got a nice, bright color scheme and the sides have little fins at the edge, and even a little one at the top! I saw this thing sitting in store window at the Lastation market. What do you think? Isn't it the cutest thing?"

"Uh, yeah, super cute, ha ha ha," Noire said politely. While a part of her wanted to agree with Uzume's take, she wasn't as enthusiastic about it.

Uzume giggled, "I know, right? Reminds me of Umio back home. Oh!" Her attention turned quickly to the figure climbing up, "Hey Tomsy! Glad you finally came up!"

"Sorry," Thomas apologized as got himself up on top of the deck, dusting himself off before bowing a little, "I didn't know if it was urgent for me to get here, so I didn't run."

"It's not urgent," Noire cut in, "Uzume's just a little excited."

"Oh, uh, hello again, Lady Noire," Thomas said with another slight bow, "Were you taking up Uni's lookout role?"

Noire nodded, "I was. You have to thank Uzume for spotting something, though."

"I'm sure you would've seen it eventually," Uzume said.

"We're getting closer to the firewall barrier," Thomas said with a quick look ahead, "We should be seeing Leanbox land by now."

"Yep!" Uzume said as she offered her binoculars to Thomas, "But the land isn't the only thing I saw. Take a look."

Thomas paused, seeing the strange-looking binoculars, and slowly took them. Uzume turned and pointed ahead in a certain direction ahead, "Over there."

Thomas lifted the binoculars, looking through to make out something past the barrier. Ahead, he could make out land. There was a small beach leading to a large cliff. But, as Uzume said, the land was not the only thing. From what he could make out in the distance, it was a small pillar-like structure, with a small turret right up top.

"Hello, you look familiar," Thomas observed, before looking away to the girls, "Lady Noire, did you see this?"

"Yeah, just a moment ago," Noire said, "You're talking about that defensive turret?"

Thomas nodded, "It still looks active, too. I only remember a few select areas in Leanbox having those things." He looked at Uzume, "You knew what this was?"

Uzume shook her head, "When I first saw this, I had to ask Noirsy. She told me it was something a few farms had to shoo away monsters?"

"Right," Thomas said, "I didn't think they needed this much weaponry, but I've heard about the uptick of monster attacks in this area of Leanbox." He looked back through the binoculars, "What was it called again? The Razer?"

"Something like that," Noire shook her head, "Anyway, if that thing is active, then someone's still at that farm. We can land ourselves there, meet with the locals, and set up a base of operations until we can find out more."

"Sounds like a plan," Thomas muttered.

"How do we know that the people there are friendly?" Uzume asked, "What's to say that turret won't turn and fire at us?"

Thomas turned his binoculars a bit as he saw the turret swivel to point away, as it started to fire a few shots. "Because it's busy with something else?" Thomas said while looking for its target. Soon, he spotted something further in the distance, and recognized them as the jet robots the party's been fighting.

"Something else happening?" Noire was first to notice Thomas' sudden interest.

"Just now," Thomas said quickly, giving the binoculars over to Noire, "Some of our 'friends' have shown up."

"Was wondering when we'd see those scrap brains again," Uzume frowned, "What are they doing?"

"They're flying by, trying to take down the turret," Noire said as she watched the action from afar, "So far, they can't seem to hit it."

"At least their aim hasn't improved," Thomas noted of the jet robots, "Though I don't know how long until they use a sniper to try and pelt that thing."

"That turret's holding them off pretty well," Noire said, "I did recall those things having decent accuracy." She then brought down the binoculars and gave them to Uzume, "We have to go in. I don't know how long that turret will last but we should get everyone together and head there."

Just as Noire was turning around, Thomas spoke, "Hold on a moment. We need to get a safe foothold in Leanbox. If we rush into battle now, we risk everything before we've even started."

"What are you suggesting?" Noire countered, "That we just ignore that?"

"No," Thomas said, pointing a little away from where the turret was, "We need to make sure the people on this ship are safely away from this battle. The moment we drop that barrier and intervene, the robots are likely to send everything at us."

"This isn't a direct assault on Leanbox," Noire explained, stopping to look at Thomas, "We'll be able to protect the ship and help the farm in the short-run."

"I still think we need to be proceeding with caution," Thomas said as he crossed his arms, meeting Noire's gaze.

"We can't afford that luxury right now," Noire responded in a harsher tone, "We have to hurry in there!"

"Well, I say we go further along the coast first," Thomas said.

"I disagree, we need to hit these robots hard from the start," Noire fired back.

Thomas frowned, "We're not sure how hard they will hit back. We need to be careful."

"Oh, now you're being hesitant?" Noire asked, growing more frustrated.

"Of course I am," Thomas answered, "I'm not going to rush in like last time..."

Noire blinked at Thomas' admission that he was pushing far ahead the last time. Nonetheless, Noire persisted in her argument, "There's no need to stall any further, then."

Thomas winced, looking increasingly nervous of going back into battle, "Couldn't we establish a better beachhead first? That cliff's fairly tall."

"If it bothers you so much, we could just fly you over," Noire said dryly, "I thought you were supposed to be good at climbing."

"No, that won't be necessary," Thomas grumbled, "Besides, I wouldn't want to weigh you all down and get in the way of your awesomeness."

"Uh, guys?" Uzume interrupted, "Are you two going to get mad at each other again?"

The eyes of both Thomas and Noire widened, and the two responded quickly, "No!"

"We're not mad," Noire insisted, "We were... um..."

"We were only debating," Thomas added, "Combing over some details. In any case, we should probably go ahead with Lady Noire's plan, I guess." He then muttered under his breath, "Impatient crank."

Noire smiled forcefully, "Alright. I'll go and talk to the captain, then go fetch everyone below deck." In response to Thomas' mutter, she muttered back, "Pouty scaredy-cat."

Thomas flinched, trying not to look too pouty, as he asked of Noire, "Promise me you all will keep those robots away from the ship and its crew?" Even as he asked this sincere question, he muttered once more, shooting back an insult quiet to his professional colleague, "Smug noblewoman."

"I will promise, as CPU of Lastation, to make sure everyone here is safe while we land at Leanbox," Noire said out loud, before mouthing quietly in the most professional manner to Thomas, "Whiny dummy."

Even as the two put on brave faces as a show for Uzume, smiling and nodding, the two continued muttering their insults. Thomas continued this, "Goofball."

"Knucklehead."

"Twerp."

"Jerk."

Despite the outward show, Uzume simply narrowed her eyes and said in dull fashion, "I can hear you two, you know?"

Caught, the two sweatdropped and laughed nervously at a despondent Uzume, who dropped her shoulders.

It was going to be a while for those two, it seemed.


	63. ACT IV: Leanbox Preparations

After a while, Noire dashed off, notifying the captain before heading below deck. Uzume and Thomas gradually climbed down to the main deck.

"You just couldn't help yourself, huh?" Uzume finally remarked, before lightly bopping Thomas on the head.

"Ow," Thomas reacted, though it honestly didn't hurt him much this time, as Uzume held back as best she could. He then spoke apologetically, "Ha, sorry. I suppose we still have to work on not insulting one another."

"Seriously," Uzume shook her head, "You two better not be squabbling during the upcoming battle."

Thomas winced, "W-we won't! Promise! We'll focus on the mission!"

"I hope so," Uzume grumbled, lifting a closed fist, "This fist won't be so gentle next time."

"Do you have to be so violent?" Thomas grumbled.

"I'm implementing some tough love," Uzume countered, "Although, if you want, I can grab someone else for that job. Maybe I can ask White Heart or Iris Heart for some assistance?"

Thomas slumped a little, defeated, "I am so dead."

Uzume sighed, then grinned, trying to ease up a bit on the threat, "Alright, alright, just relax on the tension there, okay? Geez, sometimes I wonder about you."

Thomas laughed meekly once more, before saying, "Well, I'm glad you care so much, at least."

Uzume's grin faded into a small smirk, "I just don't like to see you two fighting. Don't get any other ideas."

"Aye-aye," Thomas said with a small wave of his hand, following Commander Uzume's orders.

"Heyyyyyyyy!" Unlike Uzume's calling out earlier, this voice was not as loud. Nor was it too far away, as Plutia slowly walked in their direction, waving around Mr. Kitty to get their attention.

Thomas straightened a little while looking over to see Plutia waving at them. Uzume turned and waved her hand back, "Hey Plutsy!"

"Hello!" Plutia said, her voice projecting just enough to reach the two while she was closing the gap. She then gave a small yawn, and pouted, "Noire came over and made a lot of noise at me. She was talking too fast. Something happen?"

Thomas pondered a moment. It was likely on whether Noire was too quick in her rush to get everybody, or Plutia being a bit slow to pick up. It could very well be a little of both.

Uzume gave a nod, "Yeah, Noire's getting everyone together. We're about to hit Leanbox. Might be some fighting too. Hope you'll be ready!"

Plutia perked up a little. Even though she wasn't generally into fighting so much as inflicting pain, being able to help was something she was happy to do. "We finally made it? Yay!" Plutia smiled, "Don't worry! I'll be ready!"

Uzume's grin reformed, "Good. I've been itchin' to pound some robots into the dirt."

Plutia's eyes widened, as she was getting closer to the group, "You have? Maybe I should try that. Beating up soulless robots is kind of boring."

"I wasn't being literal when I said that," Uzume said with a tiny little sweatdrop.

"That's ok, Uzume," Plutia said, "Was thinking out loud."

Before either Uzume or Thomas could react more, the door to the captain's deck opened, and the captain walked out to the commotion, "I heard a few other voices from here, and I've been meaning to check."

"Captain," Thomas said with a small nod.

"Thomas," the captain nodded back, gesturing back with a thumb, "Lady Noire ran by saying to get everyone ready. I assume she means the land ahead?"

"Yes," Thomas replied, "We'll be pushing past the barrier and likely securing the farm nearby. Will you and your crew be ready?"

"I will be sending my people around to make sure everyone's at their stations," the captain answered, his eyes looked between the three, before turning back to Thomas, "We'll be ready."

"We'll make sure those robots stay away from the ship," Uzume spoke up, trying to strike up a cool, slightly heroic pose, "We know you're already risking enough just to help us."

"This is for all of us," the captain replied, bowing a little to the CPU, "I will be very grateful for the cover the goddesses will provide, miss... hmm..." It took him a while to think, as he lifted his hand to his chin, looking over Uzume. Uzume arched an eyebrow at him, only feeling slightly put-off by the staring. Eventually, the captain smiled, snapping his fingers as though he just remembered.

"My apologies for staring," the captain said, "I was just trying to remember which CPU you are. I hope I have this right. Are you, by any chance, Lady Orange Heart of Planeptune?"

Uzume felt a bit more at ease, as she understood the captain was trying to remember. Guessing right was also a plus, as Uzume nodded with a faint smile, "Yep! That'd be me, Uzume Tennouboshi! A pleasure to meet the captain of the ship!"

"Ha ha ha!" The captain laughed boisterously, the laugh waking up the nearby Plutia a little more, "The pleasure is also mine. Being even a small part of this grand adventure of yours to save the world is quite the blessing. Not to mention, I finally get to see the goddesses with my own eyes. I have to say, hearing about your revival was a huge surprise. I thought I knew about every goddess in this dimension, but I was apparently mistaken."

"Yeah, I get that quite a lot, actually," Uzume said with a glance away, laughing weakly, "Eheh, probably has to do with all that history being rewritten."

"Ah, yes, so I've read," the captain said, "Do not worry though, Lady Uzume. I am sure it won't be long before the rest of Gamindustri knows more about their newly-reborn goddess. I look forward to seeing what you can do."

"O-of course!" Uzume's bravado from earlier waned slightly. Given what she was talking about to Noire, this made her a bit nervous. It was precisely the thing she was concerned about, after all.

The captain looked a little amused before turning his gaze over to the other girl, "And you must be... hmmm... of course, you must be Lady Iris Heart from the Ultradimension, are you not?"

Plutia blinked, feeling a bit wary of answering. All the same, she was going to be polite, and so she responded, "U-uh-huh."

Once more, the captain laughed at his supposed good fortune, "Ha ha ha! Excellent! Oh, my apologies. Allow me to make a formal introduction to you ladies."

Thomas looked at the captain making a small flourish before bowing, his expression clearly not too enthusiastic with the captain's bit of showing off.

"I am the captain of the ship, at your service. My name is Larry, if you wish to drop the formalities, but you may refer to me as captain or admiral. I am owner to the largest private fleet in all of Gamindustri!"

Finishing introduction, the captain turned to Plutia, "It is an honor, especially, to finally meet with you. I talked with an business associate of mine from that dimension, and he had much to say about the goddesses over there. I heard of similar goddesses, but a completely unique goddess to Planeptune? I wanted to see for myself."

"I guess the captain's got a new favorite," Thomas muttered quietly under his breath. Uzume glanced over at Thomas and gave a small shrug, having overheard.

"Really? I don't think I'm that special..." Whether Plutia was truthfully being modest could be up for debate. At the moment, she just wasn't sure about the captain.

"I did not expect a humble goddess," the captain seemed surprised by the reaction, "Anyway, I do hope that our special accommodations were to your liking."

Plutia's eyes widened, "Oh?"

"Of course, I heard that you were fond of a good sleep," the captain smiled, "So I arrange for the hammock with the nicest view on the ship. Did you enjoy our ship's hospitality?"

Plutia paused to think about how to answer this question. The longer the pause lasted, the more the captain's smile faded, as he wondered what Plutia was thinking.

The captain opened his mouth to speak again, but Plutia cut him off by raising a finger. "A moment, please?" Plutia asked politely.

"A-alright," the captain said with a polite nod. Plutia, looking pensive, slowly made her way over to Uzume and Thomas. She turned to Uzume, and looking up, asked, "Uzume, can I borrow your megaphone for a moment?"

Uzume blinked, "Uh, sure." She didn't seem to mind, since she had plenty of megaphones ready in her inventory.

Plutia smiled once Uzume handed it over, and looked over it. Uzume gave her one of her older megaphones, but it was good for what Plutia wanted.

"Is this how you-" Plutia whispered quietly to Uzume, pointing to a few controls on the weapon. Uzume nodded, a bit puzzled. Plutia beamed at Uzume, "Be right back."

Turning back around, Plutia slowly walked back to where she was standing near the captain. Time seemed to go slowly. It was either that, or Plutia was taking her sweet time. It was likely the latter, with Plutia taking a few deep breaths and clearing her throat.

"A... hem!" Plutia said in as casual a manner others were just as slow in catching on, although Uzume and Thomas figured out once Plutia lifted up the megaphone, cranking down the settings so it wouldn't cause any damage. Despite the settings being brought down, Plutia's next line was quite audible coming out, echoing through the unfortunate captain's ears.

 **"Attention crew! This is your captain speaking!"**

Despite her being in human form, Plutia was able to clearly say this out loud right at the captain, who took it like he was being hit with a devastating attack. Thankfully, no HP was lost in the move, though the captain did get knocked down to the ground.

Plutia remained cheerful, kneeling down to the fallen captain, "There! I hope this made my point clear."

The captain was momentarily dazed, but eventually, he answered, "Yes, loud and clear..."

Plutia giggled, "Good! Other than that, eight out of ten, would take hammock again. Thank you, Captain!"

The pained response from the captain was a simple, "No... problem."

The captain slowly recovered from the words echoing in his ears, while Plutia stood back up and made her way to Uzume, returning the megaphone, "Thank you, Uzume! Hehe, I feel much better now." She then slowly clapped her hands, "Let's go find the others!" With that, Plutia slowly but happily walked off, heading in the direction she last saw Noire.

Uzume and Thomas simply stood there, still trying to process what they just saw.

Putting away her megaphone, Uzume mumbled, "That was rather extreme, don't you think?"

After an awkward moment of silence, Thomas spoke, "Uh, I don't know, but I have a feeling, for Plutia, that was showing restraint."

"You think so?" Uzume asked.

"I don't know," Thomas was quicker to answer this time. He truly wasn't sure.

"I'm fine..." The captain added, letting us know of how he was holding up as the scene ended.

* * *

Below deck, Noire first rushed to tell Blanc and the CPU Candidates, before finding out where the others went. Noire was picking up the pace, wanting to get everything ready long before the ship reached the barrier. Walking briskly, Noire headed over to where Compa was recovering, where she opened the door to peek her head in.

Inside, she could see IF and Compa sitting at a bed having a friendly chat. They stopped at the noise Noire made, and Compa smiled happily. Noire felt a little relief. It seemed as though Compa's doing much better.

IF was first to speak, since Noire was trying to catch her breath, "Hey Lady Noire. What's up?"

Noire panted briefly, then exclaimed, "Meeting up on main deck in a few minutes. We're getting close to land." She then looked at Compa once more, "How are you faring, Compa? Are you good to go?"

"I'm feeling better now, thank you Noire!" Compa explained, "Wish I could've been more helpful during the trip."

"That's alright," Noire nodded, "I'm glad you're feeling better." She examined around the room, then asked, "You know where Neptune is right now?"

IF answered, "Nep should be in the next room over. She's busy ch-"

"Thanks! See you in a bit!" Noire said with a quick wave before closing the door and rushing off.

IF blinked at Noire's quick departure, and shrugged. Turning to look at Compa, she smiled, and raised a finger up, "Let's be quiet and listen in, shall we?"

Compa had a small giggle, and the two waited in silence, anticipating something to happen in the next room. They could hear Noire's brisk footsteps come a halt, and the creak of an opening door. Both Compa and IF tilted their heads in that direction, letting their ears do the listening to what was to come.

"Neptune! We're getting ready for landfa- **NOWAAAAAAH!"**

"Oh, hey Noire! Fancy meeting you here! You forgot to knock, didn't you? That's not very friendly-like!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah..."

"Speechless too? I don't blame you, Noire. Do you like what you see?"

"Neptune, put on some damn clothes!"

"Bah, that's what I was doing, miss no-knocker. How rude! You know, a few minutes earlier, you would've caught me wearing this cute little nurse outfit. I could put that back on, if you'd like. Or maybe you want that bit of fanservice some other time? We can set a special cosplay date and-"

"Sh-sh-shut up! We have a meeting soon on the main deck. We're near Leanbox right now. Get ready!"

"Oh, okee dokee! Though do you mind not staring at me in my underwear? ... Do you like the color?"

 **"Augh!"** The door could be heard being slammed, followed by Noire's footsteps heading off.

"That's a no, then?"

After a beat, IF and Compa looked at each other, and tried in vain to hold back their laughter.

IF sighed after a laugh, "I was going to tell her."

"Do you regret not telling her in time?" Compa asked.

"Not really, no," IF answered simply before the two shared another laugh.

* * *

The entire party had gathered at the front of the main deck, almost where they fought the Giant Squeed a while back. By now, the crew of the ship had cleaned up the area, and it looked as clean as it did when it left the docks. The party stood around in a circle, chatting idly among themselves for a moment.

"I'm happy to see you back with us, Miss Compa!" Rom said happily.

Compa smiled, looking to her right to see the twins. She clapped her hands, "Thank you, Miss Rom. You and Miss Ram helped so much by showing me those cute drawings!"

"Anything to help out a sick friend!" Ram piped in, "We knew you could beat that stupid seasickness!"

"It really is good to see you back to your normal self, Compa," Nepgear spoke from her spot beside the twins, "The rest of us really missed you. It really isn't the same without that cheerful smile of yours."

"You all know how to make a girl feel so emotional," Compa said, trying to hold back from tearing up again, "I'm so happy to have you all as friends!"

IF, standing next to Compa's left, sighed softly, muttering quietly, "Compa, get it together."

"Haha, sorry Iffy," Compa tried to laugh it off, "I guess it couldn't be - oopf!" Compa quickly held a hand up to her mouth, causing a bit of concern nearby.

"Compa? What's wrong? You're not still sick, are you?" Rom asked as a few other people looked over, including Thomas and Uzume, who were standing on IF's other side.

Compa's face did look like she was hold back something. Noticing this, she let out a sigh, waving her hand, "No no, it's nothing like that. I was just feeling a little gas come up, probably from the soda I drank earlier. See, nothing wrong!"

A moment later, Compa let out a small **brap** and quickly covered her mouth with both hands. A small blush formed, and the nurse meekly said, "E-excuse me."

Thomas and Ram grinned a little at the display, while IF had a small blush of her own. "You're excused!" The ever-polite Nepgear spoke.

Compa tittered, replying, "Thanks, Ge-Ge." Meanwhile, IF turned her head away from Compa, muttering, "Geez, even Compa's burps are cute." Unfortunately for her, the words were picked up by Thomas, who broke out into small laughter.

Rom and Nepgear looked confusedly at Thomas while Ram said, unaware of IF's words, "I didn't think it was **that** funny."

Compa tilted her head, while IF's blush grew further. Frustrated, she stared daggers at Thomas, hoping he'd calm down, but all it did was further amuse him. Finally, with a pout, she looked over him, "Uzume?"

"On it!" Uzume nodded, before once more making a fist and bopping Thomas right on the forehead.

"Ack!" Thomas was caught further off-guard by this one, and fell over with a thud.

"Okay, we're ready now," called out Noire from just ahead of the group, "Thomas, please get up. This is not a time sleeping or goofing around."

"Yeah, Tommy, no time for goofing around!" Of all the people, Neptune was the one to say this.

"Yeah, Tommy. No sleeping!" Plutia said this? Really? Oh, alright.

Thomas muttered as he slowly got up, rubbing his forehead, "I'm up. Ow..."

Everyone quieted down as Noire cleared her throat, "Ahem. We're all here to discuss our strategy once we reached the barrier. After some discussion, we've settled on a plan of attack. Lady Blanc, if you would do the honors?"

"Leave it to me," Blanc said quietly, unfurling a small map of what they assume to be the area ahead. Thankfully, there was a small carton for her to lay the map on. It's from here that we go into the briefing...

* * *

 **BATTLE PLAN (as narrated by Blanc)**

* * *

Judging from where we are now, we have reached this area near Hyrarule Plateau. This place is home to Pelican Farm, a small but lucrative family-owned farm in Eastern Leanbox. In addition to being lucrative, it's one of the few farms outside of Leanbox to have the Razer defensive turret. Uni, you know more about this tech. Please tell us a little more about it.

"Understood! This is all new technology, and only recently introduced to Leanbox after reports of monster attacks increased. It is a tower-like structure that can be remotely accessed for targeting. It is mainly used against flying or floating monsters, but can be aimed at ground targets. It has a laser cannon capable of delivering a shot similar to a conventional twenty millimeter gun, at a rate of-"

Uni, I said to tell us a **little** more about it. We don't need the weapon specs.

"Oh! Sorry."

Moving on. Nepgear? I know you could only see from a distance, but how is that turret holding up from what you did see?

"I saw a little damage, but overall it's functioning. I'm going to need a closer look before deciding if it needs repair work."

Very well. Our priority after bringing down the barrier will be for Nepgear to check on the turret. We need to make sure the farm will be secure going forward.

"Uh, well, I think I can work on it..."

Just do what you can, Nepgear. Meanwhile, myself, Noire, Neptune, Uzume, and Plutia will form a line of defense to the west, facing Leanbox. Our job will be to keep the robots away from attacking the Noirina, Nepgear, and the nearby cliff. Once we take down the barrier, the robots will no doubt move in to intercept us. We'll have to face whatever waves come at us.

The other CPU Candidates will be behind our line to offer support. Uni, I want you to provide sniper fire. I don't know the exact range of those sniper robots we've faced, but I want you to deal with any of those as soon as possible.

"I don't know their range, either, but if that turret's been up this long, it must have been doing fine. Don't worry, though. I'll provide cover for Nepgear, and everyone else."

Rom? Ram? You girls will have to do what you can behind the lines. If any of us miss a robot, make sure it doesn't get very far. The Noirina isn't a warship, and we don't want any of the crew members getting hurt.

"It's just like those tower defense games! Ain't that right, Rom?"

"Uh-huh, Ram! We'll be ready for them, Big Sis!"

Good. We'll hold out as long as we can until the waves dissipate. Those robots may have numbers, but they can only attack for so long. Once that settles down, we can check with the people at home and figure out our next step.

* * *

"Any questions?" Blanc asked.

Neptune shot her hand up almost immediately, "Yeah, I got one! Are we sure that turret won't be shooting anyone in our group, including my dear sister?"

"The turret needs to be accessed remotely to work," Uni responded, "Which means that someone in the farm must be operating it. Since it's been firing at the robots, I'm sure they'll be glad to have reinforcements."

"I have a white flag I can wave around when we get closer," Nepgear said, "We need to show that we're not hostile."

"That's still risky, Nep Junior," Neptune frowned.

"I'll be fine," Nepgear stated, "I'll make sure to be careful."

"Alright, but don't be afraid to call on me if anything gets weird," Neptune conceded, "No one pulls the trigger on my sister!"

"I'll watch her back too, Lady Neptune," Uni added, "You can count on me to keep her safe."

"You two..." Nepgear smiled weakly. She thought she was capable enough, but it seemed her sister and best friend couldn't help but be protective.

Blanc spoke after a while, "Are there any further questions?"

"I have one," Compa spoke up, asking in confusion, "Seems like all the CPUs are doing something, but me, Iffy, and Tom-Tom don't have anything?"

"The CPUs need to be in position and ready almost immediately," Thomas answered, "That means that we'll be on our own to get to the farm on foot. Once we're there, we'll help Nepgear secure the area around the farm and turret."

"Oh, okay," Compa paused, then blinked, "Wait, isn't there a big cliff in the way?"

"Y-yes," Thomas grimaced a little.

Compa frowned, "Are we climbing that thing?"

"We are," Thomas nodded slowly.

Compa winced, "That's not a good idea. I know you and Iffy are fine, but I'm not good with climbing."

"That is why I came prepared!" IF stepped in, "In fact, Compa, we're both going to help you."

"I-Is that so?" Thomas blinked, unaware of what IF had in mind. He figured that if they couldn't climb up, they could just sit this one out until the coast was clear. He certainly didn't want to rush IF or Compa. However, IF had another plan.

"We are going to assemble a climbing team, with a safety rope around the three of us," IF explained, taking out some climbing rope to show Compa, "With both me and Thomas climbing, we'll help you get up that cliff real quick."

"Really?" Compa blinked. She's surprised that IF would offer such an idea.

"I mean, it's that, or we can wait until things calm down and the CPUs pick us up," IF offered.

Thomas, sensing a chance to avoid getting involved in a potential battle or anything risky, spoke, "I like that idea. It's simple, and we can afford to wait. Right, Compa?"

"No, I wanna go," Compa shook her head, "I've missed enough already, and I want to help out somehow. Let's do it, Iffy!"

"Alright, two against one, majority rules," IF said, mostly directing that at Thomas, "We're doing this all together, Thomas. You **are** coming along, right?"

"O-of course," Thomas nodded slowly, before muttering incoherently under his breath.

Blanc waited a little more, before stating, "Well, if that's all, let's all get going."

After some murmurs, the group started to disperse, as the meeting adjourned and everyone was starting to get ready. How shall this plan go? Can Nepgear repair the turret with her tech skills? Will the CPUs putting up a good defense? What are the robots doing in Leanbox? How will the people inside Pelican Farm react? Will IF, Compa, and Thomas be able to scale up the cliff in time to do anything? Will everyone be alright? How long until we actually get to Leanbox, and where could Vert be? All this will hopefully be answered next time!


	64. ACT IV: Battle of Pelican Farm

**("Phew, a long chapter involving an action/battle sequence! Not something I'm too confident in writing, but I hope that you enjoy what's been shown so far. I'm glad to finally get to Leanbox's continent! I'm sure it'll be smooth-sailing from here!" - An author who might be a terrible liar.)**

* * *

Leanbox. The Land of Green Pastures, as it was nicknamed. Outside of the main city, Leanbox was home to many pastures, farms and forests. The large countryside made up much of the island, and could easily fool visitors into thinking it was a quiet, safe haven. On occasion, monsters would spawn to put that notion to rest. In any case, Leanbox's rural area deeply contrasted with the urban, industrial capital, yet the nation was proud of its agriculture just as much as its other industries. A self-sufficient island nation, Leanbox was capable of holding its own in the friendly competition with its mainland neighbors.

Now that I have finished reading that bit from my Leanbox tourism pamphlet, let us get back to what was going on. The LSS Noirina finally stopped just outside of the barrier lining across the small beach, leading to a large cliff. Beyond that was Pelican Farm and its lone turret defense. The captain, after getting his crew to their stations in preparation, ordered for the anchor to drop. He then looked to a few of his people and said, "Stay alert. There's no telling what we'll be dealing with soon."

With that, the captain moved to the front of the ship to check on the CPUs gathering. He went over to Noire, letting her know, "The crew's in position. Everything proceeding at your end?"

"Yeah," Noire nodded, "Once IF, Compa and Thomas get to the raft below, we'll transform and bring down the barrier."

"Understood," the captain said as he looked over to see the human members of the party gather around the edge of the ship, setting down a ladder. The captain then added, "Please, be careful out there, Lady Noire."

"Eh?" Noire was a little surprised by the concern, "Erm, I'll be fine. But thanks, anyway. Y-you make sure everyone on the ship will be alright."

The captain smiled weakly, "Ha ha, of course. Lastation will look forward to when this is all over and you return triumphant. I could treat you to a nice meal on a quiet cruise after all this."

"I'll pass," Noire said politely.

"Your loss," the captain shrugged, "I'll leave you to it, then."

Noire hummed in an affirmative, and the captain walked away, going over to watch the three people head to the raft. Noire, meanwhile, walked over to Neptune, who was doing a warm-up stretch. Noire blinked at Neptune's enthusiasm, "You're, uh, getting ready, Neptune?"

"Yepperoni!" Neptune chirped, kneeling down on one knee before stretching out.

"Okay," Noire said with a look of disbelief, "But why are you stretching your legs? We'll likely be flying more than running."

"Can't be too cautious!" Neptune said cheerily, "Besides, I had to do something to keep busy while the cap'n was making a move."

"Ah, so you were only listening in," Noire replied. Neptune simply grinned in response.

Noire sighed, muttering, "I'm going to quote someone else's catchphrase, and say 'not interested.'"

* * *

Meanwhile, the captain stopped by, holding his hands behind his back as he watched IF use the ladder head down. Looking over the edge of the ship, he could make out the orange raft, with Compa dropping down to one side.

Thomas was the last to use the ladder, but he paused, looking up, "Here to see us off, captain?"

"Aye," the captain stated, "How are you holding up?"

Thomas winced a bit, "Can't say I'm looking forward to battling again."

"Want to trade places?" The captain asked.

"What?" Thomas widened his eyes in shock at the question.

"Ha ha ha, I'm only kidding ya," the captain teased, "You did say you had to see this through, didn't ya?"

Thomas grimaced briefly, before saying dryly, unamused, "I'm going down now."

"Alright," the captain said, waving him off, "Good luck to you."

"Same to you," Thomas responded simply, just as he was heading down the ladder.

With that, Captain Larry smirked to himself, turning around. He spoke to himself, "Will be interesting to see what news will come out of Leanbox when this is all done." Straightening his shirt, he proceeded back to his cabin, watching some of his crew members fix a few weapons they prepared for battle. The harpoon guns were out one more, but it was not going to be easy with just those. An assortment of swords and guns were given to the crew staying on deck, while the rest of the crew remained below to tend to the ship. Despite the captain's amusement from earlier, he was feeling a bit of the pressure. This was the part of his job he was most concerned with, as the next few minutes might change dramatically for him and his ship.

Thomas eventually made his way down to the raft, joining IF on the opposite side of the raft, walking a bit ahead. "Alright, everyone get comfortable," IF ordered, before grabbing one of the paddles, "We're going to race to the top."

"I thought we were working together, Iffy," Compa asked with a tilt of her head.

Sitting down between the two, in the middle of the raft, Thomas grabbed the other paddle, "I believe she means a race against time, or the robots. The quicker we get up there, the more help we'll be to the others."

"That's the idea," IF said, putting the paddle on her lap while slipping her arms out of her coat. She did this so that her arms would be free to row with the paddle. Setting the coat down by her shins, IF grabbed her paddle, "You good to go, Thomas?"

Thomas looked at where IF held the paddle, and moved his to the other side of the raft, "Yeah. Been a while since I've done something like this. Shall we signal to the others?"

"Yeah," IF nodded, raising her paddle up. Thomas followed with the gesture, looking up to see Blanc looking over.

After a small wave to the people below, Blanc turned and called out to the other CPUs, "They're ready! Let's get going!"

Neptune shot up from her stretch, "Allllllright! Let's do this!" With a flash, Neptune quickly changed into her CPU form. The other four CPUs transformed, and took off to the sky.

"There they go," Thomas said, setting his paddle down into the water. IF did the same with hers, and the two began to row in sync, slowly. They were getting used to rowing, testing the waters while the CPUs moved up and ahead to the barrier.

Meanwhile, the CPU Candidates flew behind the other CPUs, as the young girls huddled close together. Uni, Rom, and Ram huddled around a somewhat nervous Nepgear, trying to reassure her that they got her back.

"We'll keep those baddies away from you!" Rom exclaimed.

Nepgear smiled a little, encouraged, "Thanks, Rom. You all don't have to worry about me so much, though. Our attention should be on keeping the people safe."

"We know that, duh," Ram rolled her eyes, "But you need to concentrate on fixing that tower thingy, right?"

Rom nodded, "Uh huh. We don't want you to get an in... inta... interra... intranep..." Rom fidgeted, getting stressed as she tried to figure out the right word.

Ram helped her sister along, "We don't want robots barging in on you!"

"Yeah!" Rom perked up, "No one bugs miss Nepgear!"

"That's good to hear, you two," Uni said to the twins, "But Nepgear's got a point. We have a lot of ground to cover."

"It's okay, Uni," Nepgear said happily, "I'm confident that you three will do a good job!"

Uni's response was put off as Purple Heart called all the CPUs over to invoke the code to bring down the barrier. It had been a while since everyone had gotten together to do this, but the move went off with little trouble. The glow emitted from the CPUs coalesced into a large orb, pushing into the barrier and slowly breaking it down.

Almost immediately, the CPUs dashed forwards through the opened area. Thomas and IF soon reacted by starting to row quickly, pushing down into the water with their paddles. With the raft rocking so much to start, Compa put her hands down, gripping on the raft for support.

Nepgear made a dash towards the turret, holding up a white flag she pulled from her inventory. At first, the turret was turning towards her, but stopped halfway and remained still for a while, before turning back towards where the robots were attacking from.

Purple Heart led the charge as they intercepted the small band of jet robots that was coming in for the next volley of attacks. Almost in immediate reaction to the CPUs, however, the jets broke away and fell back in the direction of Leanbox proper.

"Already running away? Get back here, you freakin' cowards!" White Heart grew sour at the retreating group, and moved further ahead in pursuit.

"Hold back, White Heart!" Black Heart yelled, pointing her sword out, "Reinforcements are coming!"

Iris Heart slowed down and stretched her arms out, playing around with her deadly sword-whip. "How boring," she said in disappointment, "Must they keep me waiting?"

The group stopped in mid-air, lining themselves up for the reinforcements joining and heading towards them. Orange Heart squinted a little at the incoming robots, and commented, "Uzume sees different robots too!"

"Snipers?" Purple Heart asked.

"Nopes!" Orange Heart chirped, "Uzume sees something else. These robots have... wings?"

"Indeed. Jets technically have wings," Purple Heart joked.

"No, Uzume means the flappy kind of wings!" Orange Heart complained, flapping her arms a bunch of times to emphasize her point.

"A new toy to play with?" Iris Heart asked, curious.

"Fine," White Heart sneered a little, "We'll find out what those things are shortly. Brace yourselves!"

The robots grew in numbers, as a new wave of reinforcements joined in, and White Heart gritted her teeth. Perhaps she spoke too soon about the supposed cowards.

* * *

Purple Sister Nepgear, meanwhile, landed behind the turret structure, putting the white flag away and taking a look at it. "Hmm, I never really looked at a defensive turret before," Nepgear muttered to herself, checking around for an access panel, "If I can figure out where I can divert power from here, I may be able to make repairs more quickly..."

While keeping an eye on Nepgear, Black Sister Uni lifted her sniper scope at the incoming swarm. Instead of finding sniper bots, or even elementals, she discovered new robots flying alongside the jets, as Uzume observed.

"Dragons!" Uni yelled out from the back, readying for her first shot.

Her voice could be picked up from everyone, including the humans who just landed at the beach. Thomas, IF, and Compa were getting ready for the next part of their journey, securing a rope around their waist and gathering the climbing tools they were going to use to scale the cliff.

"What?" Thomas muttered, as the three of them looked up to the sky at Uni.

"R-real dragons?" Rom exclaimed from another part of the sky, while she and Ram were casting a few spells to make sure the CPUs further down were decently buffed.

"No," Uni responded, zooming in to take her first shot, "They got armor and wires much like those jets." She calms herself down, and after a beat, fires her first shot. The shot, luckily for them, caused some damage, but it was still going, "Those things are well-armored, but not invincible!"

"Just what we needed," Thomas winced as he heard all of this, talking mainly to himself, "Another type of robot. They even got Armored Dragoons, er, Dragons."

"I'm sure we'll be dealing with others later on," IF noted, "Come on, Thomas, let's get a move-on."

"Right! Sorry," Thomas apologized, and the three began their task of going up the cliff.

* * *

Even with Uni take as many good shots as she could, the wave of robots kept going, undeterred. The CPUs up front were starting to feel some pressure, with the earlier bravado starting to fade.

"Numbers mean nothing!" Black Heart shouted, "One, two, however many! They'll all go down!"

"You're sweating, Noire," Purple Heart teased.

"Sh-shut up! I am not!" Black Heart spat out.

"Uzume doesn't like this at all," Orange Heart, the least enthusiastic of the CPUs, pouted. While Noire might've had some sweat, Uzume was far more shaken.

"So many enemies to smash," Iris Heart was more eager, naturally, "Maybe I should make a tally of how many I destroy."

"Sounds like a competition. Count me in," White Heart grinned. Though she was a little nervous, she wanted to motivate herself through this.

"I'll clear this wave quicker than all of you!" Black Heart was quick to boast, "Just you watch!"

Purple Heart got excited from this, as it looked like the CPUs were going to compete, after all, "The one who destroys the least amount of robots is slower than a level 1 Dogoo!"

"Uzume didn't agree to this!" Orange Heart quivered, but it was too late. The competition was on, with the jet robots firing a few shots at the CPUs. The CPUs did their best to dodge the shots, and charged forward. Uzume, though initially reluctant, followed along, joining the motivated CPUs.

The CPUs swung right at the passing jets, using their melee weapons to their advantage, and the clash between the two groups officially started the battle. The jets that were not smashed or sliced to pieces tried to break in several directions. Though they were eager to pursue, the CPUs held back, flying back to their defensive positions. They couldn't afford to go too far where they could be isolated from their friends, or leave the others open to attack.

* * *

Despite the first successful clash, there were lots of robots flying in to fight. However, they were all of the jet variety, as the new dragon robots were also holding back. This concerned Uni, who despite destroying a couple of these new machines, was wondering what they were up to. Rom and Ram stayed back to hit the enemies with magic, and the turret was firing occasionally to provide some support. At this point, Nepgear finally found a panel and began to work on the repairs.

The jet robots that broke away turned around to rejoin the battle, and the dragon robots finally made their move. The dragons were designed to look almost similar to the Ancient Dragons of Gamindustri, but were noticeably slimmer and lacked the arms that those beasts had. In addition, their robotic look made their eyes and mouth glow with the same look that the other robots had. These robots were fairly flexible, as their heads swiveled around in a full circle, like an owl's, and soon a few audible beeps could be heard from these creatures.

Uni's eyes widened as she watched what happened next, unable to stop all of them. A few seconds after the beeps, the robots shot off multiple plasma shots from their glowing mouths. These fireballs went off in different directions, but it soon became clear what was happening.

"Noire! Everyone! Watch out! Those are homing shots!" Uni yelled.

"Everyone break off!" Purple Heart called out, "We'll have to move around, or get blasted where we stand!"

"But the others!" White Heart expressed her concerns.

"It can't be helped," Black Heart explained, "Those things are coming in!"

"Crap, alright, so much for keeping the battle from getting all chaotic," Blanc relented, and the CPUs moved off, scrambling to out-fly the homing fireballs.

* * *

The robots had succeeded in breaking the defensive line, as even more reinforcements came in. It was hard to keep track, since now even the back line of Uni, Rom, and Ram had to move around to avoid getting pelted by shots. The dragon bots continued to lock onto their targets, firing more homing shots. While they were more accurate than their jet counterparts, the shots did dissipate after a while, and even then, they weren't as damaging. Still, it was enough to be a major problem for the CPUs.

One, in particular, was pissed off. "Urgh, I've had it! Screw it, I'm going after those metallic bastards!" White Heart was wound up by these new robots, and, after some healing with an item, turned about and pushed through, shoving away any bot even close to her in her path. **"Outta my way! Metzelei Schlag!"** Blanc dashed forward, her hammer's spinning being the only thing visible, before reappearing and causing an explosion, taking out a couple of the dragons and jets nearby.

This caused some chaos on the robots' end, with Blanc specifically chasing after more of the annoying dragon bots, **"Get back here so I can smash you to pieces!"** The skies devolved into utter chaos, as each CPU was dealing on their own versus the now-disorganized robot swarm.

* * *

As that was happening, Thomas, IF, and Compa were already halfway up the cliff. Thomas and IF were climbing fairly well, and Compa, despite her presumed inexperience, was actually doing pretty well. She even had different shoes on to help keep up, although she still kept her leg warmers on. Don't ask me why.

"You're doing pretty well, Compa," IF said, "I thought you were not much of a climber."

"I sometimes do a little practice on the weekends," Compa said, her concentration focused more on getting to the next part, "There's a local gym I go to, and it has a climbing wall. I'm not an expert at this, though! Can't be as good as Iffy."

"It's like IF said, doing well so far, Compa," Thomas added, looking up to see what was happening so far, "Things have gotten crazy up there. We better hur-"

Before he could say more, one the jet robots that was damaged in the chaos crashed and exploded on the cliff, several feet away from the three. While the explosion didn't hurt any of them, the result did shake the group.

IF was just moving to another spot before the explosion, and lost her grip, slipping off.

 **"Iffy!"** Both Thomas and Compa called out as IF fell from her spot. IF was to the right of Thomas, thought there was some distance between the two. The rope that was tied around their bodies was connected to Compa, who climbed between them but was a bit behind.

IF's fall was stopped by the rope, with Compa and Thomas holding tightly to their spots. Stopping in mid-air below Compa, IF tried in vain to reach for the rocky formation. "Crap, just my luck," IF seethed under her breath.

"Iffy, grab onto my foot!" Compa said, leaning down carefully and bringing out one foot, "I'll help you back up!"

"Compa!" IF exclaimed, "But-"

"Just do it!" Compa cried out, before looking to Thomas, "Are you holding on?"

"Much as I can," Thomas said in some pain, trying to belay for the both of them.

Compa turned back and slowly inched her foot down and out for IF, who pulled up on the rope to climb. As soon as IF got enough space, she reached out to grab along Compa's ankle, "Got it!"

"Okay! Take it slowly, Compa," Compa said to assure herself. She pulled herself back up, dragging her foot closer to the cliff, enough for IF to find an old spot she was climbing, and returned back to climbing.

Feeling the stress fade a bit, Thomas looked over and asked, "You two alright?"

Compa nodded slowly with a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, IF responded, "Yeah, I'm back on. Th-thanks to the both of you. Thomas. Compa."

Thomas relaxed a little, "Are you two good to keep going? There's more left to climb."

"R-right," Compa said, before looking to IF, "I'll keep going. Iffy?"

"I'm not letting this cliff beat me," IF complained, "It'll take more than that to stop me."

"Okay," Thomas said, but the three soon paused as they saw something approach. One of the jet robots flew closer to the LSS Noirina, and soon turned itself in the direction of the three, pausing as it appeared to process what it should do in this scenario. Before it could fire, however, one of the other jets collided with it... more specifically, a jet was thrown right at it, and the two crashed into the ocean before exploding into nothingness.

"Ah ah ah, there will be **no loitering near the ship!"** Iris Heart said from where she was fighting. Plutia was fighting against several of the robots that were circling around the LSS Noirina, but were just out of range of the turret or the crew's weapons. Plutia, not liking that they were circling around like vultures, intervened, taking it upon herself to clear the skies. Hmm, perhaps that earlier explosion was an oopsie on Plutia's behalf? She's got to be careful throwing her enemies with her sword-whip. I could be wrong, though. Battles can get awfully hectic.

After a beat, Thomas commented, "Let's try and hurry up a little."

"Agreed," IF stated, with Compa giving another nod.

* * *

In the skies, meanwhile, Orange Heart was panicking a little, "Theresliketotallylotsofickyrobotsallovertheplaceaaaahgetaway!" Uzume flew in more random directions, making it difficult for the robots to keep track. This also made it difficult for the homing shots, which inadvertently hit a few of their own robots who were trying to give chase. After the homing shots dissipated, Uzume grabbed her megaphone, turned about, and shouted an attack, **"Stay awayyyyy!"** The attack sent shockwaves, immediately destroying a few of the jets, and damaging a few more. The attack stunned them long enough for Orange Heart to launch her own offensive, putting away the megaphone and unleashing a barrage of punches.

Purple Heart found herself flying closer to Leanbox, though she found a barrier just outside the city limits. Before she could make out anything inside the barrier, she ended spotting the next wave of reinforcements coming in.

"Elementals and snipers? Oh no you don't!" Purple Heart charged further, away from the chaotic skies, and gave chase to the other robots. She wasn't going to let those enemies get added to the battle. Seeing more of the elemental robots clad in ice armor, Purple Heart turned to using her fire combo attacks to pierce through. Breaking that line of reinforcements, Purple Heart yelled, **"Victory Slash!"** Her two slashes crossed over one of the sniper bots, destroying it rather quickly. Purple Heart then smiled at the remnants of the small wave, "Aha. You're next."

* * *

Nepgear, in the meantime, had been using a few tools to do some tinkering with the turret, "I'm done with the initial repairs. Now I just need to tweak these settings a little more, and I can maybe improve its rate of fire." As she continued to mutter to herself, a few of the jets fired a couple of shots that missed their target, passing by Nepgear and hitting the ground nearby.

"Nepgear!" Uni hollered, before sighing, "Damnit, she's in her own world. Rom, help me out here."

"O-kay!" Rom piped in, following Uni over to the turret.

Giving the oblivious Nepgear cover, Uni dropped using her sniper skills and fired several rounds at the robots, **"Back off!"**

Rom called on her ice magic to deal more attacks. Although she was more of a healer than her sister, she had a few offensive skills. Gathering her MP, Rom pointed at the firing robots, **"Ice Cube!"** The magic fired multiple ice cubes, assisting with Uni's gunfire in keeping the robot swarm away from the farm.

"Oh, I never saw this wire before," Nepgear continued, still unaware of what was happening around her, much to Uni's dismay.

* * *

The LSS Noirina was not free from this battle, despite the efforts of Plutia and the other CPUs. Spotted by the robots, a few of the jets tried to get a few shots at the ship and its crew. Not wanting to back down, the armed crew members returned fire with their pistols and rifles. They were not terribly damaging, but it seemed to keep them away from the ship.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just the air that the robots were coming from. From Leanbox's direction came a couple of 'jet'-like robots traveling underwear, moving like torpedoes heading for their target. However, they weren't terribly stealthy, and it didn't take long for some of the crew to try a few shots.

"Ooh, I got this!" Ram flew over the underwater bots, and casted a variation of her Ice Coffin spell, dumping blocks of ice right in front of them. Suffice to say, these torpedoes were not good for stopping on a dime. Satisfied with stopping this wave, Ram flew off to check on her sister.

Despite this, the ship still had to deal with a few robots getting really close. One instance in particular saw a basic robot hop off a jet to board the ship. The crew panicked, getting into cover and pelting it with a couple of shots. The robot was hardly damaged, and was ready to use its gun arm when it was blasted by a potent shot, knocking it back into the ocean.

The shot came from a plasma pistol, and its wielder had to shake his other hand, as Captain Larry used a charged shot to knock it back. "My apologies," the captain said politely, "But you do not have permission to board **my** ship." Checking his pistol as it cooled down, he then remarked, "Not a bad gun, I must say."

The captain then spotted one of the dragon robots as it flew away from the chaos near Nepgear, soon turning towards the cliff. At this point, Thomas, IF, and Compa were getting really close to the top, and the robot started to lock onto the three. Seeing this, Larry lifted his gun and aimed for its back, hoping to pick it off before it fired.

 **"Hyahhhhhhhh!"** At that moment, however, a black blur charged right at the machine, seemingly and conveniently out of nowhere, and slashed at its head, preventing it from firing. Black Heart finished it off rather quickly in a flawless execution.

The three at the cliff were relieved, even as IF put away her throwing blades. They were so close to getting to the top, and were almost picked off. Following the robot's destruction, Black Heart looked back to see if the others were fine. Compa smiled over at her, while IF gave a quick thumbs-up before returning back to climbing. Black Heart nodded, before glancing at Thomas and saying, with a bit of a fluster, "Don't you forget about this!" Black Heart then shot off, presumably to help Plutia and Blanc clear the skies.

Thomas blinked at what he saw, "Eh?" The other two, though amused by his puzzled reaction, left it at that as they all eventually resumed climbing.

"Huh," Captain Larry spoke to himself, having pulled away his aim after Black Heart's intervention, "Guess I wasn't needed, after all." He looked back to the three, who just made it to the top of the cliff, taking a moment to rest after the arduous task. He then looked up at the skies to see how the battle was progressing. After a while, and putting away the plasma pistol, Larry turned to his crew, "Okay everyone! The goddesses will take it from here! Raise anchor! Full reverse! Let's get the hell out of this war zone!"

The crew raised a cheer, and scrambled to their stations, as the ship raised its anchor and began to pull away.

Black Heart was just ready to continue battling when she spotted the ship already leaving, "What the? **Where are you going?"**

Captain Larry took off his cap, revealing a not-so-flattering, receding hairline. Holding his cap to his chest, he gave a small, solemn bow to where he could see Black Heart in the sky. Seeing Black Heart stop in mid-flight, most likely yelling at his ship, the captain leaned back and laughed mildly, "Ha ha ha. Apologies, milady. You should know this was not a warship, and we did as much as we could. Besides, my priority is to protect my crew, and I intend to uphold my duty. I trust you'll be able to handle things, anyway. Farewell, Lonely Heart."

Putting his cap back on, the captain returned to his cabin as the LSS Noirina continued its retreat. Black Heart didn't take this too well, yelling, **"Get back here! This battle isn't even over yet!"**

"Let them go, Noire," White Heart piped in, having cleared most of the dragon robots in the vicinity, "Did you really expect them to stay here?"

Black Heart winced, "F-fine. I was hoping they could've helped a little more, but I guess that was asking a lot. Let's finish these guys off."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, er, farm, Nepgear's eyes lit up, "Got it!" Proud of herself, Purple Sister put away her tools and clapped her hands, "That should do it!"

The turret, which was faring well so far, began firing at a quicker pace, shooting more of the robots out of the sky.

"Welcome back, Nepgear," Uni said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, sorry, did I miss anything?" Nepgear asked, her words dripping with honey. Uni could only force a smile at this. With the turret picking up its pace, Uni took this time to relax for a few seconds. The same for both the nearby Rom and Ram, who needed to recharge their MP after using so much magic.

"Arriving just when the battle's winding down," IF mused, jogging in with both Thomas and Compa, "Shouldn't you be happy we've missed most of the fighting, Thomas?"

Thomas muttered a bit incomprehensibly, as the three removed the rope from their waists. Compa leaned down to switch her shoes back, looking to Nepgear, "Do any of you need healing?"

"We're alright," Uni remarked, "Though if you can check on all of us, we'd appreciate it, Compa."

"Goodness!" Nepgear realized something, "I haven't done much fighting at all! I want to help!"

"You've helped a lot already, Nepgear," Uni sighed.

Thomas clapped his hands together, "If you want to help finish the rest of this group off, I can offer a boost."

Nepgear nodded, getting her weapon out, "I want to go. Sure, Thomas, go ahead."

While Compa went to check on Uni for injuries, Thomas used his G. Meditation to give Nepgear a stat boost. Smiling, Nepgear spoke quickly, "Thank you!" She then flew off to the skies, helping the CPUs in their battle.

"Hey Tom, how about some support here too?" Ram called out, "Better late than never, right?"

Thomas shrugged a little to IF, before heading over to help the Lowee Twins get back some MP. Compa, meanwhile, finished looking over Uni, "Other than a few bruises, you seem in good condition."

"Thanks," Uni remarked, "I'm gonna make sure Nepgear doesn't overdo it out there." With that, and a nod to IF, Uni headed off to help Nepgear.

Looking at the sky, IF took out one of her throwing blades and watched, ready in case any robot decided to be even remotely close, "Looks like we won't be doing a whole lot here."

"It's okay," Compa reassured IF, "We're not the ones people look up to when it comes to saving Gamindustri, after all."

"Yeah yeah," IF grumbled, "I know. Still, wouldn't hurt to, just once, be able to be the ones and get to rub it in Nep's goofy face."

Compa giggled, "I'm fine where I am right now. Being with friends like you is far more important than that kind of fame."

IF sighed, "Yeah. I guess I'm just a bit sore after that fall earlier." Compa leaned in and gave her best friend a small embrace. IF had a small blush form, "H-hey! Compa? We're still in the midst of a battle here."

Compa let go, "Sorry. The turret's doing good in keeping the baddies away, though. We should be safe."

Rom and Ram took off to join the other CPUs, as Thomas walked back, "Looks like the battle's winding down. I don't see any more reinforcements come in."

"Maybe they're done sending out waves?" IF pondered this. How would the enemy react in such a scenario?

Coming in and stopping abruptly in front of the turret was Purple Heart, flying all the way back from the far end of the battle, "Nice to see you all made it!"

IF jumped, "Aah! Geez, Nep, you just popped out of nowhere."

"What can I say? I've been going full-speed here," Purple Heart shrugged, before looking to the others, "Compa? I've taken some hits over this battle so far. Mind if you give me a heal?"

"Of course!" Compa had no problem complying.

"Tommy?" Purple Heart spoke next, "I wouldn't mind a little of that meditation boost."

"S-sure, I guess I might as well be of some use," Thomas said, feeling a little weird about getting these requests. He wasn't too sure of how to put it...

At least, until Orange Heart hovered down beside Neptune and waited in line, happily noting, "Beep beep! I'm a jeep! Can Uzume have some heals too?"

This set Thomas off, who angrily said, "Are we a freakin' pit stop now? Do your tires need changing too?"

"You can do that~?" Purple Heart asked in a teasing matter.

"Oh! Are my skates all worn out?" Orange Heart asked, looking down at her CPU feet, which did in fact have skates on.

Thomas sweatdropped, "Never mind that, Uzume... we'll heal ya after we deal with Neptune here."

"Okee-dokee!" Uzume chirped.

"Have you been doing alright so far, Uzume?" Purple Heart asked.

The cheerfulness that Orange Heart initially had faded fast, and Uzume shook some, "Uhhh, can Uzume just hang out here with Ifsy and the others?"

IF crossed her arms, "That doesn't seem like the cool thing to do, Uzume."

Orange Heart took the hit, closing her eyes and shaking, "Urk!"

"Please don't kill Uzume right before we healed her," Thomas said in his own bit of teasing.

* * *

Sure enough, the battle looked to be swinging in the CPUs' favor. The turret's improved performance, the LSS Noirina heading off, and the humans offering support meant that the chaos of the early part of the battle was subsiding. Even the odd sniper or elemental bot was not going to make much of a difference. The dragon bots may have been a pain, but they were not particularly fast, and White Heart in particular was just not letting any of them stay up for long.

In the distance, a couple of camera lens watched what was happening in front of the turret, with Compa providing healing, and Thomas buffing any CPU stopping by for the 'pit stop.' Noticing the support, and the tide of battle shifting, the lens closed inside one of the jet robots that was hangin' out in the back-line. It made a few beeps, and turned itself around to head back to Leanbox. After that, the robots made their general retreat, though some stayed behind to delay any pursuit, and get smashed for their troubles.

The battle was finally over.

A little while later, the CPUs changed back into their human forms and stood around the turret.

Nepgear was feeling in good spirits, commenting to herself happily, "That was fun. I think I just learned a little more about turret construction. Perhaps I can use this in future designs? Hmmm, I should consult with my notes back home..."

"Uh, Nep Junior?" Neptune blinked, "What are you mumbling about? Should I be worried for a future chapter?"

"Don't worry, Neptune, it's totally fine!" Nepgear assured her, "The main point is I made a few improvements, so this turret will have some extra firepower!"

"Is this sort of upgrading even legal in Leanbox?" Thomas grimaced at the upgraded turret.

"I counted sixty-four kills," Blanc said with a smug look on her face, looking at Noire, "How did you do?"

Noire blinked, "Let me think..." After making a few calculations in her head, pointing her fingers in area she recalled making a kill, she then laughed, "Hahahah, would you believe I also had sixty-four?"

"Are you serious?" Blanc said in disbelief, twitching an eyebrow at that, "You're not pulling my freakin' leg with that crap?"

"Of course I'm serious!" Noire countered, "I'm not going to lie about that sort of thing!"

Blanc sighed, "Fine, whatever. We did our job, that's the important. Hey Plutia, how about you? How many did you destroy?"

Plutia, back in her sleepy form, seemed perplexed by the question, "How many? Ummm... uh, I forgot. I was just having fun seeing how I can bury robots into the ground. Like I'm burying treasure! Hehe."

"Figures," Blanc grumbled, before trying to ask the one relaxing beside her, "How about you, Uzume?"

Uzume looked rather exhausted, and was still trying to get over her shock from earlier, "Sooooo many robots..." Her eyes swirled around just even recalling what she saw.

"Are we the only ones who counted?" Noire frowned. She then cleared her throat, and tilted her head, "Neptune! Please tell me you kept a number of how many you destroyed."

Neptune smiled, "Yep! I sure did!" She gave a thumbs-up, before stating, "I, the great Purple Heart of Planeptune, had destroyed one neptillion robots!"

Noire and Blanc just narrowed their eyes at Neptune. "Even if that number somehow **did** exist, I sincerely doubt you did that much," Blanc stated.

"How much **is** a neptillion, anyway? As though that matters," Noire asked, quickly regretting her question.

"A neptillion is a special number to help measure whatever amount I have done," Neptune nodded, putting her hands on her hips and acting all proud, "It's whatever Nep does! Also know, it's bigger than any other number, so I win."

"What a load of crap," Blanc seethed, "You just were too lazy to count!"

"I admit counting was not on the top of my mind," Neptune mused, "But that's no way to act like sore losers."

"Maybe I should give you a few neptillion thrashings!" Blanc growled, her eyes slowly turning red with rage.

As Blanc's temper reached a boiling point, there was an audible but faint male voice coming from the farmhouse's door.

"H-h-hello? Is it safe to come out now?"

Personally, I don't think so with Blanc's temper, but this was where the chapter ended. Huh, and I still don't know who the MVP of this battle was.


	65. ACT IV: Base Of Operations

Just an hour or so ago, the skies above Pelican Farm in Leanbox were extremely busy, when the CPUs clashed with the robot invaders. Now, there was an eerie silence outside, with the upgraded turret watching over an empty field. Even the wind remained still.

There was some activity, however, inside the farmhouse. The party was split between people who sat around the living room, and those who stood in the dining room on the other side of the house. Thomas was seated with a few others in the living room, though he was close enough to listen in on the dining room, where IF had gone with some of the CPUs to speak with the family living here.

Looking down the corridor and into the dining room, Thomas could spot a man and woman, dressed in simple farming attire. The man was the one who called out from the entrance a while back, and after a quick talk outside, invited everyone inside to rest and heal after the battle. They looked fairly generic in contrast to the colorful characters surrounding them, with short brown hair and matching brown eyes. Nonetheless, they appeared to be the ones running this family-operated farm.

"Thank you for inviting us in," IF said in polite greeting, "We appreciate whatever hospitality you can offer."

The man clapped his hands together, bowing graciously, "Actually, we want to thank you all for rushing to our rescue. We weren't sure how much longer we could've held them off."

"Yes, thank you so much!" The woman bowed her head to Nepgear, who was the CPU standing next to IF, "I wasn't sure if we were ever going to get relief. But, to see so many goddesses come to our aid is truly remarkable."

IF brought up her inventory, quietly stating, "We've all come from the liberated nations of Gamindustri. People from the Guild, the Basilicoms, and volunteers have helped us get here. We're here to help Leanbox out of this crisis-"

"Oh, Iffy, no need to be sore," Neptune piped in, leaning back on a seat in the dining room, "It's only natural that citizens can be a little overwhelmed seeing so many CPUs in one place."

"I-I 'm not sore!" IF explained, "I was just noting all our efforts."

"We appreciate all of it, truly!" The woman spoke up politely, trying to be diplomatic.

Nepgear smiled, holding her hands together, "We're happy to help out in any way we can. We don't know what's been happening in Leanbox since these barriers fell. Can you tell us anything? We appreciate any information."

"Of course!" The woman nodded, then asked, "But first, after all that's happened, you must be thirsty. Please, allow me to brew some tea for everyone."

"We would be most grateful," Noire said from where she was standing between the kitchen and dining room.

"Been running on that stuff for a couple of days," the man noted, "We still have some supplies, water, and electricity, but we're trying to conserve as much as we could."

IF hummed softly, looking at her inventory a little more, before saying, "The ship we were on gave me some relief supplies. With your permission, I would like to place them somewhere here. We're also asking if we can set up our base of operations here."

"You're all free to stay here," the man said, "I think we have some space in the attic, if you wish to set up there."

"Sure," IF closed her inventory, "We got some rations and supplies that'll help you all out. If you need anything, feel free."

"Thank you," the man bowed his head. IF smiled weakly while the woman went to ask a few people in the dining room if they wanted some tea.

As that was happening, Thomas noticed something from where he was seated. He saw the stairway leading up to the second floor in the hallway between the living and dining room. He could see someone slowly going down the steps. Despite his obvious watching, the person did not even notice him. Instead, this individual was looking towards the dining room, growing more curious by the conversation.

The person was a young girl, likely in her young teens, dressed in similar clothing to the two adults the group has met. Also, like the two, she shared the same brown hair and eye color. The girl idly held back a strand of her shoulder-length hair as she peered around the corner, just as IF was about to make her way.

IF's eyes quickly noticed the new girl, and she stopped short of accidentally colliding with her, "Oh! Hello there!"

The girl sprung back a few steps, getting to the other side of the staircase. Even though she looked hesitant, she nonetheless waved a little to IF, humming quietly in response.

"Sorry about that, didn't mean to startle you," IF said with a warmer smile.

The girl nodded slowly, smiling back, though still keeping some distance. The woman, having just asked Neptune if she wanted some tea, looked over, "Oh! You've finally met our daughter. Sara, it's okay, all of these people helped us."

The young girl nodded to her mother, humming in an affirmative response.

"Sara's a bit shy around others," the man said, "She also doesn't say a whole lot. Kinda took after me when I was a lot younger, it seemed."

"It took you quite a while before you opened up," the woman teased her husband, "you spent more time dashing between crops to water them."

The man shrugged, as Sara rolled her eyes at the discussion. "Hey, I only had a watering can back then. It took a lot of time and effort to water everything."

IF smirked at the couple, before looking to the young girl, "Anyway, hello Sara. Name's IF. It's nice to meet ya. I'm gonna be heading upstairs to store some supplies."

Sara once more nodded, humming an affirmative. "Sara doesn't talk much outside of her group of friends, or whenever she's doing online gaming," her mother said to IF as she went into the hallway.

"Oh, lemme guess!" Neptune said excitedly, "She becomes a demon whenever she's online! Haha, did I guess right?"

The man pondered a second, "That's, uh, not far from the truth."

"Please, try not to use any of those words while the goddesses are here, Sara," the mother asked of her blushing daughter. Sara glanced away from everyone, grumbling tepidly.

Neptune smiled, her eyes slowly looking over into the living room. Close to the fireplace, Blanc was seated comfortably in a recliner, next to a sofa where the twins leaned back and rested. In fact, upon further inspection, one could see Plutia's body laying down behind with her back against the girls, taking another nap, acting as a little pillow for the two. Both Rom and Ram were first to notice Neptune's stare, and turned their heads to Blanc, who was taking some time reading.

"Hmm? Is something the matter?" She asked in confusion, looking up at Rom and Ram, "What is it?"

The twins were equally puzzled. "I don't know," Rom admitted, "Miss Neptune was looking your way for some reason."

Blanc flinched a little, her eyes meeting back at Neptune, who didn't really much of an expression to show this time. It still bothered her, though.

IF took the time to wave a bit to the people in the living room and made her way upstairs, heading towards the attic access hatch. Meanwhile, Sara's mother peeked into the living room, "Any of you want a cup of tea?"

"Yes, please," Compa said from another couch, sitting next to Uzume.

"S-sure, I'd like one, please," Uzume raised her hand, as though she was taking attendance in class.

"Do you have something for the little ones here?" Blanc asked.

"We have plenty of fresh milk in our fridge," the lady answered, turning around to meet with the Lowee CPUs, "Would you like a glass?"

"Sure!" Ram chirped while Rom nodded.

"I'll have a glass as well, if that's alright," Blanc said casually, her fingers tapping a bit on her book before she flipped a page.

The mother smiled, "It's no problem." Seeing the sleeping and content Plutia, she went to the last person in the room, "Sir?"

Thomas smiled and nodded, "Uh, y-yeah, I'll have some tea, please."

"Right! I forgot, can I have a cup of tea as well?" IF called out from the second floor.

"I'll prepare one for when you get back," the mother said with a small titter, turning back to the dining room. Uni would cut in, standing next to Noire near the kitchen, and ask for a glass of milk instead. It seemed everyone in the party was accounted for.

Meanwhile, Sara looked around the group with intense curiosity. After a while, her gaze stopped upon the nearby Nepgear, who she went a little closer to. Sara was quite short, not having reached puberty yet, and looked up at the CPU Candidate with a few sparkles in her eyes.

Nepgear's head tilted a little, observing the young girl's gaze, before turning to face her, "Hello! Sara, isn't it?"

Sara's gaze broke and she turned her head down at her feet. Once more, she hummed with an affirmative tone. Her body fidgeted a bit, and she appeared quite nervous.

Seeing this, Nepgear bent her knees to be more at eye level with the daughter. "It's okay," Nepgear said politely, "We're here to help out." She paused briefly, before introducing herself, holding a hand to her own chest, "My name is Nepgear. I'm a CPU Candidate from the nation of Planeptune."

Sara's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she leaped forward, quickly embracing the surprised Nepgear in a hug. Clearly, Sara was the sneakiest villain the whole time! Okay, maybe not. "Uh, Sara?" Nepgear asked in confusion.

Sara hummed happily. "Nepgear~!" Well, at least she wasn't completely mute, as her voice sung out the CPU's name.

Nepgear wasn't sure at first how to react, but as Sara's grip loosened, Nepgear returned the embrace, "Haha, nice to, uh, meet you too. Ha."

"Nepgear, are you alright?" Uni became a little guarded, if only by Sara's sudden movement.

"I'm fine, Uni," Nepgear assured her, gently patting Sara on the back as she hugged, "I think miss Sara is just really happy right now."

Uni blinked at the hug between the two, further commenting, "Looks like you have a fan here."

The man sat himself down at the dining room table, rubbing his temple before speaking, "Sara's very fond of miss Nepgear. I would say a lot of people around here are."

Thomas pondered this a moment, then spoke, "I think I understand. Nepgear is quite popular in Leanbox. If I remember, recent popularity polls have her being second only to Lady Green Heart in the nation."

"I was one of the people who attended that one concert the CPU Candidates did in Leanbox so long ago," the man admitted, "Miss Nepgear's efforts in the country haven't gone unnoticed since then, either. Ha, we kind of think of her as a little sister around here."

"Nep!" Neptune fidgeted in her seat, her mind going all over the place, "Does that mean I have to compete with an entire nation to make sure Nepgear remains **my** little sister?" She gasped, "Was this Lady Vert's plan this entire time? I didn't think she could be so cunning!"

"I think you'll only have to worry about Lady Vert, Neptune," Noire shook her head at Neptune's reaction.

Thomas furrowed his brows, pondering, "Is it really that bad?" Blanc stifled her laugh, holding the book close to her face.

Sara slowly let go of Nepgear, who was a little flustered by the discussion. "Goodness," Nepgear muttered. However, looking upon Sara's bright smile, Nepgear refocused her attention, "We'll be counting on each other while we're here. I can count on your support, right?"

Sara musically hummed an affirmative.

* * *

A couple of minutes later, drinks were served to everyone in the farmhouse, save for the napping Plutia. Sara joined the CPUs in the dining room, sitting at the table with a glass of milk, seated between the two Nep sisters. The mother and father sat down with their tea at the other end of the table, next to Noire, Uni, and the returning IF.

Meanwhile, Thomas took a sip from the black tea. He paused immediately at what he was tasting. "This is really good," Thomas commented from his floor seat in the living room. He looked over at the dining room, and asked, "Very good tea, by the way. Is this a more recent flush?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," the mother said, "This was harvested just before these barriers came down."

"You guys grow tea leaves here?" Neptune asked, somewhat curious in what was actually grown here.

"No, we don't grow any on this farm," the father replied, setting his tea down and looking at it in thought, "Leanbox doesn't cultivate tea plants here, generally. There's only one farm that has a small plantation."

"I'm guessing you're talking about Raguna farm?" IF chimed in, as she appeared to be checking on her phone.

The woman nodded, "Why yes. How did you know so quickly?"

"I pulled up some information on the surrounding areas," IF noted, briefly showing her phone to the farmer, "But I can only get some old information. I've been trying to contact Histoire back in Planeptune, but communications appear to be shot."

The man sighed, dropping his shoulders a bit as he became more depressed, "I've been meaning to talk about that. Initially, we've managed to stay in touch with the farm through normal means. Lately, however, we've haven't heard anything from them."

"This sounds like what happened in Lastation," Uni remarked, looking over to her sister, "Outside the city, the robots were disrupting our supply and communication lines."

Noire frowned at a similar situation happening in Leanbox, "They might be doing that once more."

"It's not just that that has us worried," the mother added, "We've heard people telling us about robots taking people from their homes and taking them to Leanbox. We lost contact with Flower Bud farm further south days ago, and now with Raguna, we fear the worst happened."

Nepgear was just finishing a sip when she heard this, but held back from spitting it out. Nonetheless, she sounded shocked and worried afterwards, exclaiming, "They're abducting people now?"

"They enforced a curfew in Lastation's city, but certainly didn't take people outside the city to bring in," Noire remarked, "Though I guess us surrounding the city might've been a reason they didn't try."

"Have you heard anything from the city? Or Lady Green Heart?" IF asked, giving up with her phone for the time being.

"Unfortunately, no," the man replied, "Since the barriers, we've no contact with the city. I wish I could tell you where Lady Green Heart is."

Neptune nodded, "Vert's a tough cookie. She's probably still in Leanbox trying to take down the big baddies. Or playing games. Either one."

"I hope so," the man said, ignoring Neptune's remark about Vert playing games, "From where we are, we could only make out some light and explosions coming from over there. My best bet would be that there's still fighting going on in the city."

IF hummed softly, "Let's hope Vert and everyone else in the city is holding out. For now, however, we need to make sure our surroundings are secure." IF went to sip a bit of her tea, before setting it down and checking over her phone.

"Anything else you can tell us about these recent attacks?" Noire asked.

"Not much," the man admitted, scratching his chin in thought, "The turret usually holds up after one of these raids, but I would not know how long it could stand. My wife and I have taken turns remotely controlling the turret." He reached into his inventory, and pulled out a small device, "We get a warning signal from this thing whenever something enters its range. I'm actually grateful that turret's been doing well so far. Don't think we would have a chance otherwise."

"The robots haven't attacked at all during the evening," the mother added.

"My guess is because the robots go back to enforce their curfew in the city," Thomas recalled, "Lastation had a curfew imposed when it was attacked."

IF checked the map feature she had on her phone, which was still working despite the internet not being available, "Okay. It's getting late and we're going to need to be ready for the next day. The two farms you mentioned were Raguna and Flower Bud farm, right?" The man nodded, and IF traced her finger over the map, "It's a long way to get to either farm on foot. I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but I think we'll need the CPUs to split up and quickly check those places out first thing tomorrow."

"Hmm?" Blanc set down her book briefly, looking towards the dining room, "Is it really wise for us to split up?"

"Not like we haven't done so before," IF remarked, "Compa, myself, and Thomas can stay here in case the robots try another attack. We need the CPUs to see what's happened at those farms. We have go to find intel on our surroundings before we can proceed further."

The father of the household spoke up, "Excuse me, but I do remember that both farms, like ours, have a Razer turret installed. You might want to check to see if those are still operating."

"I'll definitely have to go check on them," Nepgear said.

"Hold on, Nepgear," Uni grimaced, looking a bit cross, "You can't go check on both farms at the same time. I'm so slouch in the weapons department, after all. I'll check out one farm, and you check the other."

"Looks like we got our two teams," IF said, "Nepgear, Uni, you'll have to decide the teams to go with you."

Uni nodded, then pointed at Nepgear, "Nepgear, your team can go to Raguna to the southeast. My team can go directly south to Flower Bud farm. Er, I mean, if you don't mind."

"N-not at all, Uni," Nepgear blinked at Uni's initiative, "But who will be going with us?"

Uzume piped in, "Hey Ifsy, mind if I stay here with the three of you while the CPUs are out? We need at least one CPU around this farm, don't you think? It'll even out the two teams also, make it easier for the girls to pick, you know?"

IF pondered over this, "You sure? Alright, consider yourself a volunteer. Nepgear? Uni?"

Nepgear hesitated, "Uh, well, I'm not sure who should go with who... uh, Neptune? Mind helping out your sister?"

Neptune smiled immediately, "Anything for my little sis! Sure thing! I'll help you out! In fact, I say we bring Plutie with us. I just hope she doesn't complain about having to move too far."

Noire sighed, "Neptune's already deciding the teams, huh? Figures. Well, guess that means we'll be heading out together, huh Uni?"

Uni pondered a second, then shook her head, "Actually, I think you should go with Nepgear for this one. If that's alright with you, Nepgear."

Nepgear phewed, "Thanks, Uni!" Her team was now complete.

Noire was rather surprised that, once more, Uni chose to be on a team separate from her, "What? Really? Why would I be on Nepgear's team?"

Uni cleared her throat, and leaned closer to speak quietly to her sister, "She's going with Neptune and Plutia, Noire. I think someone needs to be there to help the team stay on focus."

"I can be super focused!" Neptune protested, clearly overhearing Uni's words, "Like me and Plutie would take advantage and slack off or anything like that!" Despite the cheery tone, it was hardly a convincing argument, as Nepgear was feeling a little nervous.

"Good thinking, Uni," Noire murmured.

Uni sighed a little, "Yeah." She then leaned a bit away to look over into the living room, "Lady Blanc?"

Blanc closed her book and put it away in her inventory, "I understand. Rom? Ram? Looks like we'll be heading to Raguna farm first thing tomorrow."

"Ooh, a mystery!" Rom said in a bit of excitement, "Don't worry, Big Sis. We'll look around for clues!"

"Yeah yeah," Ram clapped her hands, "This is perfect! We'll be like super star celebrity detectives!" Ram looked more excited than her sister, seeing an opportunity to prove herself as a future wise and powerful sage. Finding clues and solving a mystery would count as showing some wisdom, right?

Uzume smiled at the enthusiasm shown by the twins, "We'll be counting on you two. I look forward to seeing what you uncover!"

Plutia, meanwhile, muttered some sort of cheer, though it was difficult to hear as her face was turned towards the couch. It didn't help that it came out rather slowly, "Goh... fait... wen... mumble..." Plutia stirred a bit more before returning back to her nap.

"Looks like the teams are all set," Thomas said quietly. A part of him was relieved, as it looked like he would be staying back this time. No need for a leap of faith or a rush to be a hero.

Having finished his tea, the father got up from his seat, taking his cup to the kitchen. "Before the day is done, might I ask some of you to help us feed animals at the barn?"

"You're raising animals here?" Noire asked with a look of surprise.

"We do have a few animals that we raise and feed, but not a whole lot," the mother said.

Thomas raised an eyebrow, curious, "Animals such as?"

* * *

 **Chirper event in progress, to be sent later when the internet gets better.**

 **The message would come from Thomas' icon, which noted "Not sure if this is a barn or petting zoo, sometimes."**

* * *

"Ran-Pigs!"

The barn wasn't too far away from the farmhouse, though it looked to be a recent addition. Next to it was a small storage shed. Inside, on one side of the barn were a few cows. Both Sara and her father went to work refilling the troughs in their section, separating between water and food for the animals.

It was at the other side of the barn where Thomas blurted out the previous line, happy to be able to see these strange creatures. While they looked like regular run-of-the-mill pigs from a distance, they had rather odd faces, similar to a text emoticon.

"Ran-ran~! (´・ω・｀)" One of the animals squeaked, also somehow being capable of using words, and emotes if the need be. For the sake of my own sanity, I probably won't show the emotes so much.

"You look excited," Blanc held her hands behind her back as she walked beside Thomas in the area set for the Ran-Pigs, "First time seeing these things?"

"Aye!" Thomas exclaimed, watching the things run around them, "They're such a rarity on the mainland, and yet they flourish here in Leanbox. I never went out of my way to see any in-person until now, though." He bent his knees and wrapped his arms around them, quietly laughing at the goofy expressions he saw.

Blanc glanced away, "Aren't you so easily amused? Acting like a kid."

Speaking of, the Lowee twins dumped the last bit of feed into the troughs for the Ran-Pigs, who immediately rushed over to eat.

"Are we being shipped?" One of the Ran-Pigs squealed, a thing they're often concerned with.

"Nuh-uh!" Rom shook her head at the Ran-Pig, who immediately looked relieved, and rushed to the trough to eat with the others.

While that was happening, both Uzume and Nepgear were watching the goings-on from the fence surrounding the Ran-Pig area. As Uzume curiously watched, something came to her mind, and she leaned a little to Nepgear, "Gearsy?"

"Yes, Uzume?" Nepgear blinked, speaking normally while Uzume was more hushed.

Unphased, Uzume continued, trying to keep her voice from being overheard by the others, "You were in Leanbox when the Gold Third was running things, right? Those million Ran-Pigs... um, those people... did you find a way to get them back to normal, or are they..." Uzume's eyes widened, her imagination giving her some rather terrible ideas of what could happen.

"Oh!" Nepgear said, "Those people who were cursed and turned into Ran-Pigs were brought together, and we eventually found a way to get rid of the curse. Don't worry, everyone's been turned back, even the one that got away before the ritual."

Uzume closed her eyes, and breathed a huge sigh of relief, feeling her heart no longer sink, "Oh, good."

Nepgear smiled weakly, "Admittedly, it did take a while. We had to call in Mr. Badd to help us with the whole process."

"Mr. Who-now?" Uzume blinked, not sure who Nepgear was talking about.

"Right, Mr. Badd," Nepgear idly scratched one of her cheeks, "One of the Seven Sages from Ultradimension. During my time there, he was responsible for turning children into monsters." Uzume looked mortified at this, before Nepgear quickly kept going, "He's reformed now! He felt really bad about what happened and since worked to revert them back to normal. He's a bit of a softie, too, since he grew attached to those kids."

"Must have been some kind of strange story," Uzume remarked, "You should probably bring me up to speed with what happened over there some time."

Nepgear sighed a bit, "I guess I could tell you some time. You could ask Neptune or Plutia about it, too."

"I don't think so," Uzume chuckled a bit, "Plutsy's going to take too long to say... er, anything, and I'm pretty sure Nepsy would add a lot of embellishment."

Nepgear giggled, "Yeah, they probably would." She paused, her smile fading, "Those was difficult times for some of us."

"If you're not comfortable with telling me about it, I can understand," Uzume said.

"Oh, no, it's alright," Nepgear twiddled with her fingers, "I'll tell you about it later."

Uzume and Nepgear smiled to each other, then went back to watching the antics in the Ran-Pig area. By this point, some of the Ran-Pigs were done eating, and were running around in circles. Both Rom and Ram gave chase to a few, while Thomas stood back up to watch, only to be gently nudged over by a few of the pigs. Thomas eventually fell back on his side, stifling some laughter at his sorry state. Blanc could only hold a sleeve up to her face, trying to hide her expression.

Uzume snickered a little at the antics, before thinking once more. After a little while, she spoke, "Gearsy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna tell him," replied Uzume, looking more determined.

"Tell him?" Nepgear tilted her head in confusion.

Uzume nodded, "I'm going to tell Tomsy. Everything. He needs to know by now."

"Really? Are you sure you want to do this?" Nepgear asked, having a feeling on what answer she'll get.

"Yeah, I do," Uzume answered, "Sooner or later, he'll find out about Uzume Tennouboshi. I need to do this, and put that past behind me."

There was a quiet moment between the two, before Nepgear said, "Any idea how he'll react?"

"I... I don't know," Uzume was unsure, "I just can't hide that info forever. I... we'll figure things out. I need to get this off my chest. So yeah, I'll be telling him tomorrow. Tonight, though, let's just get some rest."

Nepgear hrmed, "Alright. Good luck to you. Hope it goes well."

"I won't need luck!" Uzume exclaimed, before clearing her throat, "But, th-thanks for offering."

After another pause, the two were interrupted by Sara, who waved at the both of them to watch her.

"Looks like Sara wants your attention, Nepgear," Uzume said with a grin.

Sara entered the Ran-Pig area, and checked each pig for something, before stopping on one of the pigs. It was a small pig, so it was wasn't too difficult for the young girl to pick up the creature carefully. She then turned towards the two and showed them the Ran-Pig in question, showing it off specifically to Nepgear.

"Ran-Gear~!" The girl said happily. Apparently she named one of the pigs after one of her favorite CPUs. Much to Nepgear's surprise, the creature looked over at the two, and was immediately surprised.

"Ran-gya~! (´ｏωдｏ｀)" The pig made a face similar to Nepgear's own shocked face, much to Uzume's great amusement.

Uzume laughed, "Wow, Nepgear, there's even a Ran-Pig imitating you now! Ha ha ha ha, it's so freakin' adorable!"

Nepgear pouted, "Another one? Ohhh, why do I feel like I'm being picked on again?"

I dunno, Nepgear. I thought it looked cute, personally.


	66. ACT IV: Disaster

**("Happy New Year! Here is a new chapter, and this is a really big one. I'm actually happy to have finally gotten this far in my initial outline for this story. How much more is there? Quite a bit, but I do hope you readers enjoy it. As per usual, I appreciate any feedback on how things are going. It's great to know that people are still reading this even after such a long time. At the rate I'm going, I expect a few more Neptunia games to be finished before I'm done. How many, exactly? Place your bets now! Haha, ah... I'm kidding.**

 **Anywho, brace yourselves." - the author)**

* * *

Another day rose on Leanbox, as very little happened overnight. True to their plan, both groups of CPUs headed out and left southwards just as daylight broke, first thing. This left Pelican Farm with IF, Compa, Thomas, and Uzume to stay behind, in case the robots attacked again. However, with the turret nearby repaired and upgraded, it would be quite a task for the robots to overwhelm such defenses.

It had been a while since the CPUs left, and Compa was spending some time in the dining room, resting and having some more tea to go with the small breakfast she had. During this time, she was listening to the mother of the family talk about how she and her husband met.

Compa had a look of surprise on her face, as she had difficulty believing what she heard. "He gave you corn every day?" Compa had to be certain her ears weren't playing a trick.

"He did," the mother replied, sitting herself down across from Compa with her own tea cup, "As a young girl, I used to love having corn on the cob, and he heard about that being one of my favorite foods. Next thing I knew, it was part of his daily routine at the farm. After he was done with his farm work, he would dash over to where I was, holding corn right above his head. A gift from him to me, he declared."

"And he did this every day?" Compa blinked a bunch of times in disbelief, "My grandmother once told me the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but I found it works for girls too."

The mother laughed a bit, "It depends on the person. My husband was a pretty active charity case then, giving people things they liked. Gave some other girl gifts too... not sure why her favorite thing was rocks, but I'm not going to judge. Eventually, he focused a lot of his giving towards me, and yes, every day it was corn. Baked corn, big corn, giant corn, corn stew, creamed corn, corn salad, corn bread, shrimp and corn..."

"And you didn't mind one bit?" Compa said as she swirled her spoon in the tea cup.

"I didn't mind at all," the woman responded, "He always tried to add a bit of variety, but made sure the corn was the best in quality. I could tell he put a lot of love making each recipe, too."

Compa blinked once more, unsure of what to say next. The mother smiled to her, "He cared a lot for the people around him, and me in particular. He just kept it up until one day, he offered a ring instead... a strange proposal, but, I suppose he did win my heart through my stomach."

"Ah, so that's the story of you two, huh?" A new voice piped in from the stairway, as IF walked into the dining room and walked over to take a seat beside Compa.

"Morning, Iffy!" Compa turned her head to beam a happy smile to her best friend.

"Morning," IF nodded, before adding to the conversation, turning to the moth, "So, if I get this right, miss, your husband gave you your favorite food to raise your affection levels before popping a ring on you? Just like that?"

The woman laughed, a bit of a blush forming on her cheeks, "I suppose it was just that simple."

IF couldn't help but smirk, casting a side glance at Compa, "Pretty amazing."

Compa blinked, noticing the weird look, "Uh, Iffy?"

"Hah," IF's smirked widened into a grin, "Someone giving someone their favorite food, raising their affection level. Does it remind you of anyone?"

Compa tilted her head, not quite sure what IF was getting at. "Uhhhhh," Compa said blankly.

IF's eyes rolled upwards. Nonetheless, she pressed on with her tease, "Tell me, Compa. When are you planning to propose to Nep?"

There was a little pause, before Compa's eyes widened, "Oh, you meant me! Ahahahaaaa..." She then flustered, stuttering, **"P-p-p-propose?"**

IF's expression remained, finally getting to tease Compa, "I'm sure all that pudding's raised her affection level to as high as it'll go, Compa. So, when's the big day?"

Compa's eyes shut, and she rocked from side-to-side while turning a bright shade of red, "Th-th-this is not the same thing! D-d-don't read too much into it! I like to see N-N-Nep-Nep happy, that's all!"

IF chuckled, "I didn't expect my best friend to start acting like Lady Noire all of a sudden."

"Iffy, you, you big teaser!" Compa pouted, lacking a witty counter.

IF looked rather pleased with herself, "Consider it payback for the times you teased me. Don't worry, Compa, your secret's safe with me."

Compa grumbled in defeat, though the mother was quick to help out, "I am sure miss Compa was simply showing how much she appreciates her goddess, much as a mother would her child." She laughed a bit, "Hehe, it's alright, miss. I like to spoil my dear Sara."

Compa's blush faded, smiling weakly. It was true enough that Compa loved spoiling the lazy goddess. She certainly wasn't thinking of taking that kind of step.

IF nodded to the mother, "That does seem more like Compa's thing. Speaking of which, Sara is still sleeping upstairs, just to let you know."

"That's fine," the woman said, "She got a little excited from seeing all the goddesses yesterday. I'm glad she was able to get to sleep."

"I kinda get that," IF said of Sara, "It must have been nerve-wracking for quite a while, with the robots attacking and kidnapping people."

The mother's smile faded a tiny bit, while she checked her tea to see if it's cooled down, "We've had issues with monsters in the weeks prior, but nothing to the degree like this. The barriers and communication problems made it difficult to get any outside support."

IF hummed a bit in the affirmative, looking over her phone over some things. Compa pondered this briefly, and asked a question to the mother, "Were there any adventurers or Guild members nearby?"

The woman shook her head, "We usually have to fend for ourselves around here. Adventurers mainly show up around here whenever there was a monster nest to clear, or big quest to undertake. They come in, do their quest, and leave. The Guild doesn't really send many people our way, either."

"There's only the one office in Leanbox's main city," IF noted, still looking over her phone, "It's not like the mainland where there are chapters or smaller cities to go to."

"This region is sparsely populated, and we all knew the risks involved with working out here," the mother continued, "Still, this has been rather difficult."

IF nodded slowly, scanning something on her phone before looking back, "I'm trying to re-establish contact with the mainland to see if we can get help from there. Do you know much about any cellular sites around these parts?"

The mother tried to recall anything, before gesturing behind her in a direction, "I think I remember there being one site along the cliff, not too far away. You still have to do a bit of walking, though."

IF got up from her seat, putting her phone away, "Okay. I'm going to check out this cell site. If I can fiddle with it, I might be able to reconnect with Planeptune's network and get in contact with Histoire.

"Communications are still not working?" Compa asked, putting out another question afterwards, "Do you think the captain of the Noirina managed to get a message out?"

IF shook her head, idly fixing her jacket and checking her weapons, "I'm sure the captain's sent out a message back home by now. We have no confirmation of this, though, and I think if we're going to keep going, getting Histoire's input would be vital."

"She must be getting worried and trying hard on her end to contact us," Compa muttered, before standing up suddenly, setting aside her tea, "Wait, you're going alone?"

IF raised her eyebrows at Compa's sudden, urgent tone, and said, "This shouldn't take too long. However, you're free to join me. I don't wish to stop you."

"We should be fine so long as the turret stays up," the woman said, "My husband is out there, and I'm sure he'll be keeping an eye out at all times. Also, I am certain that Lady Uzume can hold the fort here."

Compa smiled, "Of course! That is why I have to go with Iffy, even for a while." She then blinked, "Uh, where are the others, anyway?"

"Little Sara is still upstairs, last time I checked," IF said, jutting a thumb upwards, "As for Uzume, she's outside at the moment, though I think she's checking out on Thomas."

"Ah, yes, the man was to sleep in the storage shed last night," the woman recalled, "And he is.. um..." She tried to remember what role this person was, but struggled.

"Uh, well, he's with me, though he should be fine over here," IF stated.

The mother nodded, as Compa wondered about this. "Pack mule?" Compa said aloud to IF, recalling a much earlier conversation where they tried to pin down Thomas' role with the group.

"Maybe a bit more than that," IF muttered, "Let's be a **little** more generous."

* * *

Outside of the farmhouse, Uzume briefly watched the head of the household get to work, making sure his crops were tended to. While he was confident that the robot invaders wouldn't attack this time around, he kept looking back towards Leanbox in between his going through a few patches.

Uzume watched in curiosity to see how it was done, before turning around towards the barn. She pushed herself, partly to avoid dipping into a farming-related daydream, but also to get to her objective. Moving past the barn, she stopped at the large doorways of the nearby storage shed.

"Okay, Uzume, let's do it to it," Uzume quietly told herself, trying to assure herself. Despite this, she was initially hesitant to grab onto one of the door handles. Internally scolding herself, Uzume began to slide one door open, slowly peeking her head inside.

There wasn't much lighting in the shed, but the opening door allowed sunlight in, giving Uzume a better view inside. The first things she could see was a little section to the side with a couple of tools and a few other bits and bobs. She could make out some ladders and even a couple of fishing poles there. Turning her head slowly, she made out several sections and a whole lot of hay. Despite the divisions, the shed mainly stored hay, most likely for the cows and ran-pigs that lived nearby.

It was here that Thomas spent the night, as Uzume could see a bit of movement from the back, with some hay being scrunched. The sounds of hay and grumbling from a familiar voice confirmed it for Uzume, who slid the door open a little more to let more sunlight in. She stepped inside the shed, casually looking around some more, as she spoke calmly, "Hey there. Tomsy? Are you up right now?"

There was an incoherent murmur, though Uzume correctly guessed that he was saying he was, judging by more sounds being made afterwards.

Thomas shook his head a little more once he sat himself up, not only shaking some of the grain from his similarly-colored hair, but also from his hoodie, having slept with all his clothes on. Some of the hay slipped into some of the gaps, and Thomas was still groggy, so there were a few times where he would try and fail to pull the hay off.

Uzume, seeing this, smirked and quickly teased, "Do you need any help with getting that?"

Thomas mumbled a bit, with the last, more coherent words being "on my own." Thomas' eyes crossed together, seeing one bit of straw sticking out in front of him, sitting atop his head. After a few missed grabs with a hand, Thomas pulled the strand off, muttering, "Eventually."

Uzume made her way over to the corner area where Thomas had been sleeping, watching his slow progression with some amusement. "I didn't expect you to sleep here alone through the night."

"I wasn't alone," Thomas blinked a few times, groggily looking between Uzume and the corner opposite his, "Least, I didn't think I was. I remembered Plutia taking a nap way over there... she left already?"

"I'm surprised she didn't try to wake you before heading out," Uzume said, also surprised the two managed to sleep across from each other without disturbing each other's sleep. The empty space between the two sections was enough to separate the beds.

Thomas shrugged a little, a bit groggy, but managing to speak more clearly, "I suppose we just didn't bother each other's sleep schedule? I do not know." He stretched his arms, "Oof... haven't really hit the hay so literally."

"Oh?" Uzume seemed surprised by this, while she bent her knees to meet with Thomas' eye-level, "Never slept in hay before?"

Thomas pondered a moment, "I guess not. I would've loved it as a kid, but never really had much hay or straw back home."

"How was it?" Uzume asked curiously.

Thomas blinked a few more times, "Uhh... at least I slept? That's good, right?" Thomas wasn't really certain he could give a review right away. He was still busy trying to shake some of the hay off of his hood.

Uzume hrmed, before noticing another bit of hay sticking out from one side of his hair. Taking the initiative, Uzume reached out and grabbed the piece sticking out with her claw-like grab. "Lemme help a little!" The more-awake Uzume exclaimed.

Thomas flinched a little as he felt a pull, and Uzume stopped to check. Sure enough, she managed to grab onto a bit of hair in addition to the hay. "Oops, my bad," Uzume said quietly.

Thomas sighed softly, and reached one hand up to help, "I-it's alright. Thanks, anyway."

Uzume chuckled, and soon stood back up and left Thomas to deal with the rest by himself. She turned away to look outside, standing in a moment of thought.

She would wait for Thomas to be a bit more awake before telling him.

* * *

While this was going on, the first CPU team reached their destination. Upon landing close to Flower Bud Farm, Uni's team changed back into their human forms and slowly walk to the front yard. They hadn't seen any monsters or robots in the vicinity, or anyone else during their trip, and the silence struck the group as a bit odd. Or, in Rom's case, creepy. Because of this, Uni, Blanc, and the twins had their weapons at the ready, cautiously looking about.

Uni pulled out a standard rifle for this. The farm was quite small, certainly compared to the farm they were at moments ago. From what they saw, the farm consisted of a small house, a shed, and a couple of basic crops that looked like they haven't been tended to in a while.

Uni held her gun comfortably, but was ready to aim it at a moment's notice. The silence seemed to have followed them here as well, and the house did not appear to have any lights on or people. "Empty?" Uni pondered quietly.

It wasn't long before she turned her attention to the turret, or what remained of it, as the wreckage was spotted just a bit away from the crops. Uni finally spoke to her team, solemnly stating, "Looks like no one's here." She thought for a second before continuing, "Let's take a look around to be sure. I'm going to check on what happened with that turret."

"Rom," Ram said to her sister, "Let's check around the house together."

"Right!" Rom exclaimed, "Detective work, go!" She said this as a way to push herself to going along with this plan.

"Alright, you two be careful," Blanc said, loosening her grip on her giant hammer, "I'll be with Uni to check on the turret."

"We will!" Ram said confidently, before the twins ran ahead to look around the house.

Meanwhile, Uni lowered her rifle a bit more, walking close to the broken turret. Blanc followed suit, before turning a little and taking a more guarded position. "I'll cover for you if any villains show up."

"Uh, thanks, Lady Blanc," Uni nodded, kneeling down to check on the wreckage.

Blanc nodded slowly, maintaining her guard, while turning just a little to watch Uni investigate. Uni examined the wreckage, first examining how such damage was inflicted. While Uni was pondering this, so too was Blanc, as she noticed something was off. Blanc quietly spoke, "How did it get that close?"

Uni grimaced, as Blanc was quite observant, "You noticed too, huh?"

"Considering what we've faced so far," Blanc noted, "The robots don't shoot blade-like projectiles. Unless this was something else entirely, this enemy got up real close to do its job."

Uni frowned a bit, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking." She noticed that there were many slashes on the former turret. "These were awfully precise attacks as well," Uni remarked, "Whatever did this acted quickly to disable it."

Blanc hummed quietly, before dryly joking, "I didn't know our adversaries employed ninjas."

"Heh, I doubt it," Uni shook her head, "Those mindless drones don't appear to be the negotiating type."

Blanc shrugged a little, "You're right. Maybe it's a new kind of drone we haven't encountered yet."

"That's a worrying thought," Uni said with a frown, trying to get a better look at the wreckage, "It doesn't help that they appear to know exactly where to slice."

Blanc furrowed her brows, "Those bastards are fairly accurate with their weapons, even if they don't pack a lot of damage."

Uni sighed, "No, some of those weapons can hit pretty hard, especially those snipers. If anything, Lady Blanc, it just shows how strong you really are."

"O-of course," Blanc was taken back a little by Uni's compliment, "I guess that would make sense." She quickly tried to get the discussion back to the turret, "Still, they must have figured out a way to get this close without being noticed."

"Unfortunately, this is all I could make out of this," Uni grumbled, "I wish I could say more, but we'll have to search for more clues elsewhere."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Uni," Blanc said, her eyes already looking around while she kept her guard up, "We managed to get one clue already."

"I know," Uni stood back up from the wreckage, turning around to look at Blanc, "I guess I am a little impatient. Something about all this doesn't sit right with me."

"You too, huh?" Blanc's expression soured, as she hoped that feeling she was trying to put in the back of her mind would go away.

Uni nodded, moving a little closer to Blanc's side, "Y-yeah. Maybe it's just this strange calm. For a place that had an uptick of monster attacks before the firewall, we haven't seen any. No robots, either."

Blanc hrmed, "My thoughts exactly. I was expecting at least one random battle, but this is a bit too easy." She paused, briefly setting down her guard, "I certainly don't think the robots and monsters are cooperating."

"Right, so something else must be up," Uni said, readying her rifle once more. "You know, Lady Blanc," Uni added, "It's remarkable that we've been on the same page so far since we started this."

"Naturally," Blanc replied bluntly, "We are both good with our research and can approach this all calmly. Although, having one of the Planeptune girls interrupt this silence with their wild imaginations would be almost welcome."

Uni laughed a little, "Hehe, almost being the key word." Blanc nodded once more, and Uni smiled, adding, "Let's keep that between us."

"Yes. Let's," Blanc agreed, as she continued looking across the ground, "Think we can spot some prints around here?"

Uni glanced back to the turret wreckage, taking a lot at the print of her feet in some of the dirt, "We might. The robots sometimes hover, but there may be some indication they were around here. We can get a better idea of what happened."

The front yard hardly had much grass, and so there was much more dirt around the farm. Blanc traced her own footprints, as well as seeing where Rom and Ram ran off, seeing their prints go around the house. Uni, meanwhile, spotted a couple of old footprints that could barely be seen. She couldn't tell when exactly these were made, but they certainly were not human.

"Good thinking, Lady Blanc," Uni said, "I don't recognize any of these other prints. Something was around here long ago."

Blanc squinted at some of the dirt, thinking it was another set of footprints, but it was too small to be anything. Blanc, after hearing Uni, spoke, "Can you make out anything from it? Trace where they were?"

"On it already," Uni began following the weird prints, turning towards the southeast. Eventually, she stopped moving, seeing the prints on a steady pace from a nearby section of a forest that separated the farms from the rest of Hyrarule Plateau.

"Strange," Uni observed, before turning back towards the farmhouse. She disregarded Rom and Ram's obvious footprints, and saw a few older prints scattered around the entrance, stopping just short of the turret. It was here that Blanc stopped as well.

Blanc put a hand on her chin, pondering this, "Anything peculiar?"

"Yeah," Uni said with a small tilt of her hand pointing in the direction of the inhuman prints she spotted, "I can only guess, though."

"Sometimes it's good to have a hypothesis," Blanc said, "What is it?"

Uni slowly pointed her weapon at the prints, "Whatever this was, its footsteps were very steady, and firmly planted. It was not in any rush coming from the south, over there." She lowered her weapon and pointed in the direction of the nearby forest. "If that's the case, then how come the turret didn't react at all?" Uni asked, "Either whatever approached was impervious to attacks, or the turret didn't fire for whatever reason. Sensor problems?"

Blanc frowned, "That's not good. Either possibility sounds bad."

"Agreed," Uni winced. This didn't put either CPU at ease.

* * *

It was only a little bit later that Nepgear's group reached Raguna Farm. Surrounded by a few mountain regions, the farm was home to Leanbox's lone tea plantation. Unlike the smaller Flower Bud Farm, Raguna's plantation had several rows of the tea plant, adding to the farm's natural beauty. There were even a few trees scattered and planted in the area. The farmhouse was to the east of all this, overlooking a little forest that separated it from the ocean beaches. The forests stretched south and went along the more mountainous region surrounding the farm.

Much like Uni's trip, there were no monsters or robots interrupting Nepgear's group. No random battle. For Noire, the non-Planeptune member of the group, this was a small relief, but the quietness of both the trip and the farm itself made her feel a little uneasy.

It didn't help her that she and Nepgear had to drag the others up for this. Both Neptune and Plutia were wanting a few more minutes to sleep, and it took a little coaxing to drag them out. Nepgear managed to stir Neptune up, while Noire somehow got Plutia to get up. Noire was surprised Plutia even relented at all, and wasn't too grumpy until she made it outside the shed. It was only then that Plutia wanted to rest and needed more convincing.

Once the group landed near the plantation and changed back into their human forms, the four made their way in, looking for any sign of life around the farm. Halfway through the plantation, though, both Neptune and Plutia dropped out of sight of both Nepgear and Noire, leaving them alone to get to what looked like a damaged turret.

"Neptune? Plutia?" Nepgear blinked, realizing the two dipped into the vegetation, "What are you two doing?"

"Already? Ugh, seriously," Noire said to herself, her patience already thin. She stomped one foot and called out, "Neptune! Plutia!"

Surprisingly, Plutia's head popped up from where she was, already a good distance between the two standing CPUs and the farmhouse, "Aah! I'm here, Noire! You don't have to yell."

Noire blinked at how quickly the usually-slow Plutia moved since dipping down, "Nowa? Plutia? W-where are you going?"

"Oh! I should have told you earlier," Plutia admitted, "Buuuut I'm gonna do some sneaksies! Gonna look around the home, see if I find anything neat. You know, stuff!"

"A-ah, okay, Plutia," Nepgear answered for a confused Noire, "Let us know if you find anything."

"Yay!" Plutia clapped her hands together, "I will! Later!" Just as quickly as she popped up, Plutia dipped back down into the vegetation.

Noire glanced over at Nepgear, asking, "Are you sure it's a wise idea to let Plutia go off like that?"

"I understand your concern, Lady Noire," Nepgear said politely, "However, I feel like she will be fine. She'll take care of herself."

"True," Noire said quietly, well-aware of Plutia's ability, "That's not the issue I'm worried about."

"Oh, chillax, Noire," said the voice of Neptune, who could be heard just around Noire, "We know this is all serious and stuff. We'll find that next part of the plot in no time at all!"

"There you go with that meta stuff again," Noire sighed, before coming to a realization. "Neptune!" Noire quickly swiveled around to see her crawling around one of the nearby tea plants, "Do I have to ask what you're doing?"

"Oh, hey Noire," Neptune chirped, "I'm doing some super-sleuthing!"

"By what? Sniffing the ground?" Noire said sarcastically, "I didn't take you for a bloodhound, Neptune."

"Silly Noire, I'm checking if I can find any footprints, or if anyone dropped something," Neptune noted, "Though I could follow my nose. The tea leaves do smell nice."

Nepgear perked up, "I agree, Neptune. It does make me want to stop and enjoy the scenery for a little while."

Noire pouted a little, crossing her arms, "We're not here for some sightseeing, you know?"

"I know," Nepgear said quietly, "It doesn't stop me from enjoying the sights."

"That's my sister," Neptune said happily, "Let's go strolling through the tea leaves together!"

"Okay!" Nepgear cheerfully exclaimed.

Noire huffed a little, "Nepgear, there's a turret that needs examining. Priorities."

"Oh, right!" Nepgear said without skipping a beat, "Let's see what we have there first!"

Noire sighed out of some frustration. It was going to be tough to keep the group from getting completely distracted. Thankfully, Nepgear still had some sense to take a look, as she and Noire made their way to the damaged weapon. Oddly enough, Neptune hung around, casually watching the two all while rolling around on the ground. And super-sleuthing, I suppose.

After some tinkering and examinations, Nepgear hummed aloud. She looked at the turret with a bit of concern on her face. Noire, noticing this, asked, "Something on the mind, Nepgear?"

"Yeah," Nepgear replied, moving a bit to show Noire where the turret had been damaged, "These were very precise and swift cuts through the armor. Whatever damage this was at close-range. They also knew exactly where to hit, to disable it as swiftly as possible." It was a mirror of what happened at Flower Bud Farm.

"To get this close without getting noticed or hit by the turret?" Noire pondered this, before turning her head to the house. The feeling in the back of her head continued, and she grew more concerned for leaving Plutia alone, in spite of her ability. "Please excuse me, I'm going to go check on Plutia," Noire said to Nepgear.

"It's okay, Noire. I'll see if I can find anything else around here," Nepgear nodded. With a quick nod back, Noire began her walk through the plantation towards the farmhouse.

Neptune popped up beside the turret, close to Nepgear, "Oh, Noire. I can tell she's worried. It's all over her face."

"I don't really blame her," Nepgear said, casually dusting off some dirt off of Neptune's shoulder, "I can't help but feel a little off too."

"Yeah, even my ol' Nep senses are tingly and whatever," Neptune said while shaking her head, "You think we have enough foreboding going around?"

Nepgear winced, "I think it might be the fact that everything's so quiet." She then asked of her sister, "Any luck on the ground?"

"Lots of steps, but I can't make much of it," Neptune admitted, scratching a little dirt off of one of her cheeks, "Whatever happened was sudden. I see some of the plants were damaged here and there, so obviously there was an attack. Can't say exactly what did it."

Nepgear closed a hand and held it close to her chest, even as she used her hand to pat her sister on the head, "I suppose we'll have to keep looking. Goodness, what could have happened?"

* * *

Uzume was curiously looking over the corner of the shed that wasn't stuffed with hay. She noticed a small electrical switch, allowing for some indoor lighting inside. She was doing this to pass some time while Thomas got up from his sleep. He stood in the middle corridor, removing bits of grass and leftover hay from the rest of his clothes.

"Are you almost done over there?" Uzume said aloud, from her spot, teasing Thomas.

Thomas laughed weakly, "Haha, almost! Just gonna find my shoes. They should be where I placed them... ah, there they are!"

"I'm surprised," Uzume said lightly, "You actually took off something before going to sleep."

"I hope that wasn't too offensive, to see my feet without shoes on," Thomas joked.

"Totally indecent!" Uzume went along.

"My apologies," Thomas said with a small flourish, "I shall get my shoes on, post-haste!"

Uzume chuckled to herself, slowly making her way to the doors. She could see Sara coming outside to check on her dad, who was pulling out a couple of weeds around his crops. Seeing that everything was going on smoothly, Uzume went back to her own thoughts.

Thomas put on his shoes as quickly as he promised, and did a quick check around his person to see if he missed a spot. Just as he finished, the sunlight that shone down at his face was cut off by the shed doors closing, leaving only the lights inside to keep the place from being pitch black.

Thomas arched an eyebrow, seeing that Uzume had closed the doors behind her, looking away and deep in her own thoughts. "Hmm?" Thomas stopped to tilt his head at the pensive CPU, "Uzume?"

Uzume blinked, caught a little off-guard by the question, snapping her back to reality. "Ah, ahem," clearing her throat, Uzume stood back up, going back into her more confident demeanor, "Tomsy, we need to talk."

"Talk?" Thomas grew a bit worried hearing this. Although his socializing skills were lacking compared to others, 'we need to talk' never sounded good, at all. "D-did I do something wrong?" Thomas asked hesitantly, "Was I actually being indecent?"

Uzume looked puzzled, "Uh, no, that's not it. You're in the clear. I wanted to talk about something important."

"Oh," Thomas felt his growing tension ease, though now he was more confused than anything, "Talk about what? It's not 'The' Talk, is it? I know about the birds and the bees."

"I'm pretty sure you're not **that** young," Uzume shook her head with a small smile, "Idiot."

Thomas politely shrugged in jest, before putting his hands in his pockets, waiting for Uzume to tell him whatever she was getting at. It was another awkward moment, as Thomas wasn't sure of what this was about, and Uzume still tried to formulate her own thoughts.

"For someone who can be so impulsive or stubborn sometimes, you can be awfully patient," Uzume mused.

Thomas glanced down, "Ah, well, I guess it depends on the context." He then murmured a little to himself, "I try to be patient, anyway."

Uzume hummed softly, "I see." She spoke up, "Right, so, I like to take this moment to apologize."

"Apologize?" Thomas blinked repeatedly, "What for?"

Uzume smiled at Thomas' genuine confusion, "I feel like I've known more about you in the time we've spent on this adventure. All while keeping to myself, you know?"

Thomas thought about it for a moment, then shook his head, "I didn't think you kept to yourself. You shone as brightly as any of the other goddesses in the party." He smiled happily, "I'm glad to have met you."

Uzume's smile grew wry, "That's sweet of you to say. Not what I meant, though. I was referring to your history."

Thomas' smile faded a bit, "Is that so?"

"Yeah, that is so," Uzume countered, "You may be no pirate, but that story about wandering the sea, being saved by Gearsy, and slowly becoming a servant of the goddesses... I'm a bit jealous."

"Jealous?" Thomas asked incredulously, "Why be jealous of that?"

"Are you freakin' kidding me?" Uzume scoffed at this, "You got to travel around the world, meet with all sorts of people, eat some delicious food, and even got to meet with most of the goddesses! I didn't do this much traveling until recently. Even my little grassroots campaign didn't go all around Gamindustri."

"S-seriously?" Thomas said, still a bit perplexed by Uzume's supposed jealousy, "My history wasn't all that rosy, though..."

"Neither was mine," Uzume once again countered, "And I feel like it's about time you know more about it. I think it's really important since we need to work together on figuring out what caused this firewall in the first place."

Thomas blinked at this, as it reminded him of the conversation he had with the LSS Noirina's captain. Wary, Thomas asked, "What brought this on just now?"

Uzume flinched a little, and relented, "Well, to be honest, I've been thinking a lot recently. If I'm going to be a CPU again, I need to be clear about everything. I can't let that past haunt me anymore. I need to let people know what happened, who I was, and what I did."

"What you did?" Thomas echoed, his mind not fully registering.

Uzume smiled a bit, "That was the past. As a reborn CPU, I am going to dedicate myself to fulfilling the dreams of everyone on Gamindustri. I owe them so much..." Uzume trailed off briefly, before bringing herself back in, "Right! So you better sit your butt down for a while, because Uzume Tennouboshi's got a long story to tell."

It took a while for all of that to finally sink in, but once it settled, Thomas nodded slowly. Finding a spot on the ground, he sat down, before looking to Uzume. His smile returned, however faint, as he responded, "Looks like my patience has paid off. I have been looking forward to this, Uzume. Please, tell me about yourself."

This was enough to make Uzume break character, flustering, "H-h-hey! This is quite serious!" Jittery, Uzume continued, "I-It's taking me some effort to even make it this far."

"I meant no disrespect," Thomas quietly said, "Please, take all the time you need."

Uzume pouted a little, but inside, she was happy to finally get this far.

* * *

Plutia peeked inside the window of the farmhouse at Raguna Farm. She hoped to see a flicker of life or anything inside, and yet all she could see was an empty room. Plutia frowned at this. She may have slept through a lot of what was said during her stay at Pelican Farm, but she knew this was not good. People were taken from outside Leanbox's main city and back for captivity. She heard a bit more about it from Neptune before her trip here, and it made her pretty angry. She knew too well that feeling of people she cared about getting kidnapped, isolated from their friends and family.

Plutia furrowed her brow, trying to set aside the nasty thoughts. Even if those drones couldn't feel emotion, she would deal her punishment, in due time. She assured herself mentally, before continuing to walk around the house, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Phooey," Plutia grumbled. Her search had come up empty as she made her way to the backyard. There was a small garden of flowers close to the back door, and Plutia took a moment to enjoy the scent. She didn't mind tea at all, but it was nice to get a different scent. She smiled weakly at the flowers, which looked alright despite not being tended to for who knows how long.

It was here that something finally caught Plutia's eye. She turned her head towards the forest, noticing what looked like a sweater sleeve. "Hmm?" Plutia focused her attention there, slowly walking in that direction. As she took a few steps, she could make out a figure, a person, standing with its back turned.

Plutia immediately perked up, her eyes widening, "Oh hey, a person! Heyyyyyyy!" Happy to see any person around, Plutia waved her arms to try to get the person's attention.

"Hello! Mister? Uh, miss? Whatever you are? Fellow creature? Hello?" She waved a bit more, puzzled that the person has yet to move, or even react, to Plutia calling out.

Plutia frowned, "Heyyyy? Can you hear me?" She soon stopped her waving, more concerned about whatever she was seeing. She could make out the outline of a person, wearing rather ordinary clothes. She could even make out some hair in the distance. At the very least, this was some minor character or NPC, right?

Despite Plutia's calls, there was no response. Plutia had to stop a moment to rub her eyes, as she was starting to wonder if she was still sleeping, dreaming, or having some sort of illusion. This actually didn't help, as even after, she wasn't too sure if the person was even there, with the outline growing hazy.

"Arrrrre youuuuu stillllll therrrrre?" Pluta asked slowly, emphasizing each word. Once more, no reaction. Plutia started to get a little irritated, "Awww, why are you ignoring me?" She grumbled to herself, muttering, "Not even reacting to a cute girl? I'm disappointed."

Frustrated, Plutia got closer, passing a few trees as she entered the forest. "H-hey? Are you okay?" Plutia was a bit more hesitant getting any closer. Just in case, she gripped onto her plush weapon. After all, the figure still looked rather hazy even as she got closer.

 **"Plutia! Get back!"**

Noire's voice was enough to give Plutia a good ol' jump scare, and the spooked CPU hopped back a good distance. This was for the better, as well, since the figure finally reacted, lashing out a long blade, attempting to slash Plutia's midsection. Thankfully for her, the slash missed just enough for her to counter with a swipe of her plush. The swipe connected with the figure's 'head', at which point the illusion broke away, revealing a rudimentary robot design, armed with a pair of blades.

While Plutia's strike was enough to damage it and remove its holographic illusion, the robot was still operational. The robot regained its footing, and attempted another slash with one blade, opting for quickness instead of a precise attack.

Plutia blocked the attack with her plush, somehow. However, this exposed her other side to the robot's second blade, aiming once more for Plutia's stomach. Before it could connect, fortunately, Noire made the save, parrying the blade and forcing the robot back.

 **"Drop Crush!"** Noire flipped back, her feet launching the light robot in the air, before she quickly recovered and launched an overhead smash to finish the robot off.

"Yay!" Plutia was overjoyed by the save, "Noire came to save me! Thank you!" She was so overcome with this emotion that she immediately embraced the Lastation CPU, surprising Noire with the sudden hug.

"Wah!" Noire gasped at the tight grip, "P-Plutia! Now is not really a good time to show appreciation!"

"Aww, why not?" Plutia pouted a bit, though was content holding Noire close to her.

Noire grew red, but pointed out with her free sword hand further ahead, "There's more to deal with!"

Sure enough, beyond the trees, both Noire and Plutia could make out more and more robots coming out of the woodwork. Unlike the recently-debuted "Infiltrator Bot", these were more of the garden variety that our heroines have faced so far, mainly basic fighters that at least had more armor than the infiltrator.

Plutia, seeing this, sighed as she let go of Noire, who got into a guarded stance, ready for battle.

Noire flustered a bit, "Sorry about that, Plutia."

Plutia huffed, though it was more at the robots, "I guess we have more baddies to smash."

"Oh, right!" Noire's eyes widened, **"Neptune! Nepgear! Get here right now! It's an ambush!"** She yelled this out behind her in the hope they would get here soon. If not, the sounds of battle nearby would clue them in.

Plutia grew more irritated, and wasted little time in invoking her transformation sequence. Noire winced as now she was standing beside an angry Iris Heart, who unfurled her swordwhip and stared down the new wave of robots.

"Such a shame, you all had to show up too," Iris Heart seethed, "Let me reward you for **ruining such a precious moment!"**

Noire sweatdropped. She appreciated that Iris Heart would help out here, and yet, "Why do the other CPUs have to be so..." She stopped herself before going further with that, for fear of being overheard. Besides, she had enemies to deal with.

* * *

At Flower Bud Farm, Rom and Ram circled around to the back of the farmhouse. In a mirror of what had happened at Raguna Farm, the twins did not find anything inside the house, but soon noticed a figure standing still in the nearby forest.

Rom poked her sister on the shoulder, before pointing out the figure, "Sis, do you see that?"

Ram nodded, "I do. Don't you think it looks kinda funny, though?"

Rom hummed softly, squinting a little at the figure. Sure, at a first glance, it looked like a generic human that was standing there. Yet, there was something off about how it looked, given how hazy and kinda blurry it was compared to the surrounding foliage. "Yeah, it does look funny," Rom admitted, "Blanc did warn us never to go talking to strangers."

Ram smirked a little at Rom quoting her Big Sis, "Yeah, this one is a bit fishy." Pulling out her staff, she spoke in an aside to her sister, "I'm gonna check something. Get ready."

"Okay!" Rom said quietly, pulling out her staff, and following behind as the twins slowly got a little closer.

Ram wanted to move closer just to be in range of her magic. To be sure that she wasn't going to accidentally hurt an innocent, Ram decided to try a non-damaging spell, but one that would cause a reaction. With a wave of her staff, she summoned a thin cloud over the figure, above the trees. The cloud slowly widened but didn't have much volume otherwise.

Eventually, Ram initiated the next part of her spell, cause the cloud to begin a light but visible drizzle. The rain drizzled over the trees and the surrounding area, but most notably started to disrupt the holographic projection that the figure had over its robotic frame. In addition, the rain also gave away the position of other robots nearby, hiding among the trees and dimming their lights to preserve energy, and to set up this potential ambush.

"It's a trap!" Ram grinned excitedly at her discovery, recognizing the other robots as the bad guys they've been fighting, "Time for a welcome gift! Rom?"

Rom nodded, and the two wielded their staffs to cast their spells, sending lightning to give the ambushers a little shock. Wordplay aside, their electric attacks jolted the enemies off of their hiding spots and caused significant damage, destroying a a few, including the Infilitrator.

The sounds of rain and lightning on a very sunny day didn't go unnoticed. **"Rom? Ram? What are you doing back there?"** Blanc's voice called out.

 **"Just destroying a robot ambush, Big Sis!"** Ram called back, as the twins saw more robots show up from the nearby forest, **"You and Uni better hurry here, or you'll miss all the fun!"**

"This is fun?" Rom asked rhetorically, as she was not so eager for the upcoming battle as Ram was.

* * *

Although the two CPU groups were battling robots, it was still far away for the people of Pelican Farm to notice. It was still too far from where IF and Compa headed, stopping by a section of the forest that wasn't infested with robots. Instead, it was eerily quiet, as IF looked over her phone while trying to find the exactly location of the cell site.

"It's a little strange that we have to go out of the way to find this thing to fix it," Compa observed, though it came out as a mild complaint considering they had to walk here.

IF smiled to Compa, "I can't say I agree, much as I want to." She glanced down at her phone once more, occasionally looking around at anything nearby. It didn't matter if it was a tree, a rock, or a shrub. "Sometimes these cell sites get taken down by monsters or vandals looking to cause any damage," IF continued, "So, in some cases, people install these sites in hidden spots to not attract much attention. Spots like the one we're coming to."

Compa blinked, "Oh? Did you find it? Where is it?" She looked around herself in the hopes of finding a big electrical tower. Nothing, however, stood out, much to Compa's confusion. "Uh, I don't see anything," Compa admitted.

"Sometimes it can be hidden in plain sight," IF remarked, turning off her phone and looking up, "Up there, Compa." She pointed along a long tree. Further up, Compa could see some wiring leading up to an inconspicuous but visible cell tower.

"Woah, Iffy, I wouldn't have noticed if you didn't point it out!" Compa said in awe. Anyone would've likely missed it casually passing through this area. Places like Virtua Forest would have technology attached to bits of nature like this. Sometimes even monitors would be displayed on the nearby trees. In a world like Gamindustri, this was fairly common, so a cell tower would just be another bit of technology.

IF took off her coat, handing it over to Compa, "Could you please hold onto that while I check on that thing? I promise not to be too long."

"Uh, okay," Compa said, holding the surprisingly-hefty coat. As Iffy turned towards the tree to begin her climb and maintenance, Compa oofed, struggling to keep her back straight as the coat weighed her down.

"Iffy, how many things are inside your coat?" Compa asked, moving over to a nearby rock to place the coat save her back.

"Too many," IF said dryly as she scaled the tree, "I can't have the coat's sleeves in the way of my work here, though. I got what I need in my personal inventory."

Compa closed her eyes, shaking her head as she tried to get a feel of how heavy the coat really was, "This coat must weigh over a thousand pounds!"

"Really? In that case, nice job, Compa," IF joked, "Being able to lift, let alone move a thousand pounds is no easy task."

"Very funny, Iffy," Compa said with a huff.

IF made her way to the tower, being extremely careful as she started trying to tweak with it, "Think of it as weighted training, Compa. Or I have a lot of things stuffed in there. Don't you have a lot in your inventory?"

"Well, yes, but not literally **on** me!" Compa exclaimed, as personal inventory's a separate thing from having it on your person. It would be awkward for Compa to carry all her old weapons along. So many needles.

"Weighted training, Compa," IF said with a smirk.

"Wait, you're already pretty fast and strong," Compa's mind caught onto something, "Does that mean, if you take off the coat during battle, you become even stronger? So fast, you can go even further beyond? A Super Iffy?"

"It doesn't work like that," IF said, muttering a disappointed, "Unfortunately."

While these two bantered, IF continued to tweak with the cell site, hoping to connect it to the networks on the liberated mainland. During this time, allow me to remind you that there are many health risks and hazards associated whenever dealing with sites like these. So please, whatever you do, do not try this at home. For one, you are not a video game character.

Compa smiled, cheerily stating, "Two, Iffy is a trained professional! ... I hope."

"Don't encourage the narrator," IF rolled her eyes as she finished her tinkering, and made her way back down the tree.

Compa giggled, offering the coat back to IF, though not lifting it fully, since it was still pretty heavy. IF had no trouble at all lifting and putting on the coat, reaching into her pockets and getting her cellphone back.

Compa, realizing the ease IF put on her coat, remarked, "Maybe I should do some weighted training."

IF hummed innocently, turning her phone back on and trying to reconnect, "Let's see... okay, the closest I can do is try to reconnect via the networks at Lastation... got it! It may take a while to get to Histoire, but we should be up and running."

Compa beamed at her friend for working so hard. She was then surprised to see IF fiddling some more with her phone, "What now, Iffy?"

"I'm trying to get in contact with our teams," IF said, "Though getting a line to the south is harder than I thought." Tapping some more on her screen, she eventually established a connection, "It's faint, but I got someone. Putting on speaker."

There was some mild static, but soon the audio cleared up with the voice of Uni, "-is that you calling? IF?"

"Hey miss Uni!" Compa was first to make the greeting.

"Uh, yeah, me and Compa managed to connect with the network back home, and communications is back up," IF said, before listening in on the background noise. There seemed to be a lot of crashing and clanging about. "Did we call in at a bad time?" IF said.

"Sort of," Uni explained, "My team had to transform to deal with this ambush of robots. Rom and Ram found them out first, but we still have a mess to clean up."

"Ambush?" IF blinked, "Are you all okay?"

"Doing good so far," Uni said, "I'm taking a few shots here and there, but we're nearing the end. I think Blanc's having the most of it right now."

 **"Get back here, you bastards!"** IF and Compa could definitely hear White Heart at work.

"And there she goes," Uni said, likely through some sort of speaker if she was engaging.

IF glanced southwards, then asked through her phone, "Uni, other than a bunch of robots, did you find anything else over there so far?"

"I spoke with Rom during the battle," Uni continued, as a few shots could be heard, "They spotted a new kind of robot, able to make a holographic projection of an ordinary human. It's possible that thing was responsible for taking out the turret here, seeing as it was done with a close-range weapon. Must've fooled the people and sensors long enough to get close."

"The turret was pretty effective on its own," IF noted, "So take that out, and it'll be much easier to capture everyone."

"Unless they're CPUs or adventurers, but I think even the people living out here aren't as battle-hardened," Uni responded, "Also would explain the lack of monsters anywhere here."

Compa grimaced, "They wiped all of them out?"

"I can't say, but they certainly aren't around here," Uni replied, "Wait, how'd you fix the network?"

"Me and Compa headed out a bit away to-"

IF's explanation was cut-off by the sound of White Heart's voice, **"Uni, who the hell are you talking to? IF?"**

"Yes-"

Uni could only get one word in before White Heart exclaimed, closer to where Uni's speaker was, "Crap! We have to go back now! If they attacked us here, they might've done the same at Raguna! We got to warn Uzume, Tom, and the others!"

Compa's eyes widened, and IF grew more concerned. IF cursed, "Damnit, didn't even tell Uzume or Thomas that we headed off." She immediately turned back as both she and Compa started a quick walk back towards Pelican Farm.

"I heard that!" White Heart's voice shot out, "This is bad. I'm heading back!"

"Wait," Uni tried to calm Lowee's CPU, "We still have to deal with-"

"Like hell I'm staying!" White Heart finished, before the sound of a CPU blasting off could be heard.

"I agree with Blanc, Uni," IF explained, "You all need to head back, now!"

"Y-yeah, will do," Uni relented, "Rom and Ram are following their sister anyway. No point staying here."

"Understood," IF explained, "IF out." She hung up quickly, and began trying to dial another number.

"Trying to get in touch with Uzume?" Compa said, doing her best to keep up with IF's quick pace.

"Yeah," IF grew frustrated, "But now communication's getting all messed up again. Those robots must be messing with our signal even after the fix. Come on, pick up." IF waited for a response, but the line cut off, "Can't connect. I'm gonna try Thomas' number."

Tapping the screen quickly, IF impatiently waited as she tried contacting Thomas, "It's not working. Of course. Those robots are messing with our signals now, somehow."

"Maybe we should back to the cell site again?" Compa asked IF.

"No, we really need to head back to Pelican Farm as quickly as possible," IF said while scrambling to get any contact on her phone. Despite the mess with communications, she was able to get a weak connection going with Nepgear. IF sighed a little in relief, "Oh thank goodness for Nepgear's tech skills."

There was a lot more static this time around, as Nepgear's voice barely cracked through, "Hello? ... is that... IF? Can you... hold on..." The signal became stronger, and Nepgear's voice became clear, "I did what I can, but we're getting some interference."

"Nepgear, you're amazing!" IF said, thrilled at the better connection, "I'd kiss you if you were here right now."

"Wh-wh-what?" Nepgear flustered over the speakers, clearly overwhelmed, "I didn't do anything special."

"Never mind Iffy," Compa cut in, "Ge-Ge, is your team alright? We need your help back at Pelican Farm."

Nepgear quickly recovered from earlier, "Hmm? I was going to contact you. We just had an enemy ambush. Plutia's handling most of it now. Lady Noire mentioned one of their new robots having some holographic projector, enough to fool the sensors. I think it was most likely responsible for-"

"Sorry to cut you off there, Nepgear," IF interjected, "We talked with Uni's team earlier and they said the same thing on their end."

"Then we'll hurry right away! Neptune actually flew off the moment we mentioned the possibility they may attack Pelican Farm next," Nepgear explained, "She was in a real hurry."

"Okay," IF nodded, "All of you get back here as soon as possible. Who knows when-"

Her phone call is abruptly cut short with the sound of an explosion coming from Pelican Farm's direction.

* * *

Let's roll it back.

Returning to Pelican Farm, Thomas was comfortably seated, casually holding one knee close and waiting for Uzume to tell her story. He waited patiently, as he wanted Uzume to take her time, feeling that it must have been something really important. If her rebirth was what happened around the end of the last crisis, there must have been a story to go along with it. I imagine Thomas must have thought about this at least once as he watched Uzume pace back and forth.

Uzume thought about how to approach this. Eventually, she started with a question to Thomas, "What do you know about the creation of a new goddess?"

Thomas tilted his head, glancing up while he was trying to think, "Umm... I only know what I've read, and honestly, there wasn't a lot of detail on that." He then winced, "Oh crap, this **is '** The' Talk!"

Uzume grimaced, bending over and deciding to give Thomas' forehead a little flick. "Ow!" Thomas fell back a bit into the hay behind him, rubbing his forehead afterwards.

"Idiot. Quit it," Uzume complained, before leaning back up, "Where was I? Oh yes, the creation of a goddess. It's true that there isn't a lot of detail on that. Even us CPUs don't understand what happens exactly. All we do know is that it revolves around the use of Share Energy."

"Yeah," Thomas leaned back up, still rubbing his forehead, "The general positive feelings somehow coalesce into this."

Uzume nodded, "Right! The best we can assume is that when enough of it comes together, there's a chance of a new goddess being created. Sometimes, it happens on its own, like when the first few goddesses appeared. Other times, it happens when lots of people together, like with Lastation and Leanbox. Sometimes, though, it can happen in nations that may one day need a new goddess, like with the CPU Candidates, or... say, a troubled nation like Planeptune."

"Planeptune," Thomas said with a wry smile, "A pretty colorful nation that survived so far."

"Haha, yeah," Uzume said with a slight blush, rubbing the back of her neck, "It's a lot more stable nowadays, but back in the early days, it was struggling to stay afloat. People were still unsure of what goddesses can do, or how important gaming was, or how Share Energy worked. Lowee was one nation able to hold up, but others weren't so lucky."

Uzume stopped rubbing her neck as looked in the direction of her old nation, reminiscing, "In Planeptune, goddesses came and went early on. Histoire, the first Oracle, was the only constant keeping it going. Even an Oracle like her had much to learn, and she wasn't too sure how everything worked. Still, she did her best, trying to pass her wisdom down on Planeptune's newest goddess. Even today, she tries to get Nepsy to step up to her duties."

"A difficult task itself, considering," Thomas winced a little. He had his own view on Neptune as a goddess. Despite her unwillingness to do the boring work and laziness, he felt Neptune was very different. A strong goddess capable of holding much of Gamindustri together with her friendly attitude and personality. Still, he could understand Histoire's plight.

"Heh, might explain Gearsy showing up if she needed that much help," Uzume joked, before getting back into her story, "Anyway, before Nepsy, there were other goddesses that lasted for a while. I recall Histy telling me of others before I came along." She shook her head, "So, before Nepsy, there was Uranus, one of the goddesses who tried to defeat the Deity of Sin."

Thomas nodded pensively. Uranus, the CPU who used much of whatever power she had left to save him from his fall. The one who gave him this tome and began this adventure. He owed much to her.

"You weren't around at the time, judging by your age," Uzume admitted, "But this is where I come in. Before her, there was another goddess, and for a time, that history was erased from existence..."

"Hmm?" Thomas blinked, "Erased?"

Uzume nodded, "Yeah. It's unlikely you would've read about it when you were working in Lastation, or at Planeptune's Basilicom. It was wiped from memory. All of that history... my story."

Thomas shifted in his seat, curiously leaning forward, "Alright, now you've hooked me into this story. Nice recap so far, Uzume."

Uzume sweatdropped a bit, "Th-this isn't me reading a story. I'm recalling what I can from memory! Geez. But... uh, thanks."

Thomas chuckled briefly, but went back to waiting for Uzume to continue on with her story.

"Let's see, how to approach this," Uzume said as she idly scratched one of her cheeks, "Thinking. Thinking."

"It's thinking," Thomas quietly remarked about Uzume's brain.

Uzume grumbled, "I was on a roll, too." Just as she started to grumble, her brain finally kicked in, "Wait, I got it now! Alright, Tomsy. You noticed some of the CPUs have their own personalities, their own quirks, even when they transform, right?"

Thomas nodded, "They certainly stand out. Honestly, it always surprises me at first." He said, recalling his first impressions of Neptune, Blanc, and Noire, among others.

"Ah, well, this is just my own personal theory," Uzume said sheepishly, "But I think, and I could be wrong, that it's all part of a goddess' own power. Not all of us have the same outlook, after all. That's probably why we compete for Shares, when I think about it."

"Hmm, that is possible," Thomas pondered on this, "When I pray to the goddesses, sometimes I try to be more specific depending on the situation. For instance, I associate Neptune with Luck, or Noire with Work Ethic, or Blanc and her sisters with Magic..."

"Absolutely!" Uzume exclaimed, "Like that! It may not be just those things, but each goddess has their own specialties, their own powers. And, sometimes, that power can be really, really strong."

"Alright," Thomas went along, "So that means you probably have something you specialize in, right?"

"Bingo!" Uzume tapped her nose to note how precise that guess was, "When I was first born, I soon discovered this really strong power."

"Oh?" Thomas grew ever so curious, "What kind of power was this?"

Uzume clapped her hands, proclaiming, "I had a strong power over dreams!"

"Dreams?" Thomas raised an eyebrow at this. There was something in that answer...

Uzume nodded, "Yeah! There was a lot I could do back then with that power. I was able to turn dreams into reality. I could pull from my own dreams, or even go into others' dreams, to be able to do this. It's a bit weird, knowing that you could enter into someone's mind like that to see what kind of world they may want to build, you know?"

"I... would imagine," Thomas said, as his mind slowly brought up something troubling him with what Uzume said. Since this adventure started, he had recurring dreams telling him of disaster or something of that nature. Even now, he has that feeling of restlessness. Furthermore, the voice that came with that warning turned out to be remarkably similar to the goddess standing in front of him now.

"Uzume, did you-" Thomas was just about to ask Uzume about this, when bad luck struck Pelican Farm, as an explosion could be felt and heard close by. Of all the times to interrupt Uzume's story, it had to be here?

Uzume stumbled briefly, managing to hold her balance, "What just happened?"

"We'll have to put off story time for now," Thomas growled, "We gotta check outside!"

Scrambling to his feet, Thomas followed Uzume, and the two opened the storage shed's door...

* * *

"The turret!" Uzume pointed out immediately after the door was wide open. There, the two saw the turret had been dismantled, exploding into a fiery mess. Nearby, the unmasked Infiltrator Bot turned its frame towards two different figures. One was the man who looked like he had been thrown back a few feet. His turret's remote could be seen nearby, already smashed into pieces.

In front of the fallen man, Sara had rushed outside to guard her father from the robot, and held out a pitchfork to try and keep the robot away. Despite her bravery, she was still a very young teen against a dangerous foe.

Thomas gasped at the situation, and with no thinking about it at all, went to take out his blade, dashing off to intercept.

"Tomsy! Oh, whatever, I'm going too!" The normally more-impulsive Uzume found herself behind Thomas as they ran towards the scene.

Sara certainly was brave enough to stand up to this figure, but inside, her heart was pounding quickly out of fear. Her hands were able to hold the pitchfork only barely, shaking on occasion. She was nowhere near accustomed to fighting. A pitchfork might have been enough to scare a wild Dogoo away, but not this. Despite this, she glared at the figure, growling briefly to indicate her displeasure.

Just as the robot got closer, both of its blades at its disposal, it swiftly turned to guard against an aggressive strike by Thomas, who must have telegraphed his incoming overhead slash, as the robot held up its two blades to push him back.

This wasn't the end of Thomas' attack, as he took the small opening below to kick the robot close to the abdomen, knocking it further away from Sara and her father. This was enough for Thomas to regain the advantage and slash through the weak frame, destroying it. The robot succeeded in its task to destroy the turret, but it wasn't going to go any further.

Knowing this isn't likely the end of it, Thomas quickly turned to Sara and her father. His tone expressed urgency, "Can your father get up? You both need to get inside the house, now."

"Y-yes," the father replied, slowly being helped up by his daughter. The daughter blinked up at the young man, who despite his show of bravery, also had a look of fear on him. Nonetheless, she hummed an affirmative, as the two rushed as quickly as they were able to back inside.

"They're coming, aren't they?" Uzume got to Thomas' side, pulling out her megaphone weapon and turning towards the west.

"And we're undermanned," Thomas watched to make sure Sara and her father were inside before turning, "Where are IF and Compa right now?"

"I don't know," Uzume admitted, "Looks like we're gonna have to face these guys alone for however long it takes."

Thomas frowned, yet took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down, "Alright."

"Stay close," Uzume said, trying to sound reassuring, "We need to cover each other's back."

Thomas hummed an affirmative, and got into his battle stance, as he spotted a new wave of robots flying in, similar to the one that flew in yesterday. The Dragons and Jets were out in force for this major wave.

Thomas gritted his teeth, as Uzume invoked her transformation into Orange Heart. Thomas then spoke aloud, to himself, "These robots were attacking and abducting children and families. Of all the things they have done so far, this... I will never forgive them."

"Hmm?" Orange Heart couldn't help overhear Thomas, but also seeing the fear slowly fading from his face. She recognized the new expression Thomas had, given his scowl. Anger.

Orange Heart had little time to react to that, however, as she held up her megaphone, and dashed forward, before blurting out her opening shot:

 **"Stay awayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"**

The opening moments of the battle were a blur, with Orange Heart using her megaphone to yell as much as possible. The soundwave attacks were useful in pushing back the enemies, even if they were not damaged. Thomas, although unable to fly or jump fairly high, followed Uzume, doing what he could to finish off any damaged enemies.

Thomas' anger was visibly seen with each aggressive strike. Even if the strike was not enough, Thomas would wildly slash again until he brought the robot down. Considering that his strength was stilll below-average, it took more than a couple of slashes. This meant that he would be trading blows with some of the enemies, and the robots were none too kind, either.

Orange Heart saw this, partly concerned for Thomas' health points depleting, but also worried about his state of mind. This was an unusual ruthlessness she saw, moreso than just simple confidence or 'fire' as Plutia sometimes noted. Nonetheless, she kept an eye on him, using her healing spells to make sure he didn't accidentally fall over.

Initially, the battle was going well for the two, as they focused on defending the farm from the incoming robots. The robots soon changed their tactics, focusing their efforts on the lone CPU, frustrating Thomas as they stayed well outside his attack range.

Orange Heart realized she was being ganged up on, and quickly dropped down to the ground. While this allowed Thomas to provide some cover, the robots now had an air advantage, and the influx of more robots made it difficult to turn the battle.

The presence of the Dragon Bots made things more difficult, as when they weren't engaging in close-quarters combat with their tail swipes and claws, they fired their accurate homing shots. Unlike in the previous battle, Orange Heart and Thomas had less room to run around to avoid these shots, at least not without a Jet or Basic Bot harassing them.

The numbers, tactics, and air advantage turned the battle right in the robots' favor, overwhelming Thomas' fury and Orange Heart's power. The two were separated, unable to cover for each other, and were taking quite a beating as a result. Thomas suffered many bruises, while Uzume was beaten so much that her CPU form collapsed, and her human form was also suffering bruises and cuts.

Sensing the odds of victory were well in their corner, the robots focused their attention on Uzume, with one of the large Dragon Bots ready to snap its jaw on the hapless CPU.

Thomas, who despite his injuries was still in a furious state, mustered up as much energy as he could, **"No!"** His sudden push surprised the robots that it gave him an opening to lunge at the Dragon Bot's jaw, slashing right at its mouth. Unfortunately for him, the robot clamped its jaw right on the blade, preventing its movement, and halting Thomas' momentum.

Before Thomas could take another action, the Dragon Bot charged its shots from inside its jaw, turning it into an electric discharge, shooting through Thomas' blade and zapping him but good. **"Aaaah!"** Already weakened from the beatings, the attack was enough to bring him down, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

 **"Tomsy!"** Uzume tried to intervene, but the Dragon Bot turned and swiped its metallic tail right at her stomach, knocking her back quite a bit and crashing into some of the crops.

The Dragon Bot reached down with its jaw, scooping up Thomas inside its open mouth, as a few robots assisted to make sure he was secured, before the bot took off and headed off in Leanbox's direction.

The heavily-injured Uzume barely pushed her upper body up enough to see Thomas being taken away, and her being unable to transform and stop this added to her despair. "No..." Uzume coughed, slowly pushing herself back to her feet.

"You... bastards..." Uzume seethed, her voice growing cold, "If I am going to go out blazing, I will make sure I take as many of you down with me. Allow me to offer my final performance..."

Taking a few exasperated breaths, Uzume clung onto her megaphone, and let out an extremely loud soundwave attack:

 **"Thoooommaaaaasssssssssssss!"**

The attack severely damaged many of the robots nearby, sending them flying back into their allies for more, and nearly blew off the nearby crops. It did not, however, stop the Dragon Bot, already out of Uzume's vocal attack range, which was too far away for her to catch up to now.

Uzume's last ditch effort wasn't enough to stop all the robots remaining, as they once more surrounded her. Uzume's vision grew a little more blurry. Her performance, it seemed, was insufficient.

At this moment, fortunately, the cavalry finally arrived. White Heart was the first on the scene, slamming down with her hammer and quickly guarding Uzume, **"Back off!"**

Coming in next was Purple Heart, cutting a line through where she flew in from, slashing as many enemies as she could in her path, and clearing the way for IF and Compa to run in. IF helped Blanc push back the enemies with Neptune, while Compa quickly ran over to the injured Uzume to begin her work healing her.

With the other CPU teams returning, the robots soon pulled back into a retreat, though not without the CPU Candidates getting several ranged shots off on a few of the stragglers. The farm, and its occupants, were safe. But this was no clear victory.

"Uzume? You alright? What happened here?" White Heart shot off her questions quickly, as Nepgear went to check on the turret. Rom and Ram soon followed Nepgear to help cool down the fires with their own magic.

"Uzume's suffered quite a lot of injuries here," Compa stated, "It would be best if she rest-"

 **"Damnit!"** Uzume exclaimed, the rush of adrenaline pushing her back up, "We gotta go after them! They got Tomsy! I can't let them get away now! Not when I was so close!"

"Uzume, slow down," IF started off.

"Where the hell were you?" A delirious Uzume continued, shutting down IF as she would have none of that, "We had to take on the entire robot army all by ourselves, but there were too many! They took Tomsy down, and a Dragon Bot took him off towards Leanbox. We can still catch up with him! Even if I have to claw my way through those waves, I'm gonna get him back! I have to! Even if I have to risk my life to do it, I'll-"

Uzume felt someone wrapping arms around her, holding tightly. Uzume stopped immediately, looking shocked to see that Sara returned, and having felt something bad happened, hugged the injured goddess.

"S-Sara?" Uzume's voice calmed down, as she sat back down.

Sara kept her embrace, humming in a tone expressing concern for the CPU. Though Compa was worried Sara might accidentally squeeze out Uzume's ribs with that grip of hers, it seemed to have brought Uzume down from her rush.

Uzume grew depressed, "This is all my fault. I wasn't strong enough to stop them from taking him."

"It's my fault, Uzume," IF finally spoke after a pause, feeling the same depression wash over her, "I let our forces get too thin, and then went off on my own to try to fix a cell site, instead of helping back here."

"I should have stayed here, too," Compa muttered to herself, feeling just as much at fault as the others.

White Heart remained irritated, mostly at herself, "I promised that I would make sure nothing happened to Tom. Lot of good I did..."

Purple Heart became somber, adding to everyone else's sadness, "I... I just wanted to have another member in my party. A friend. Yet, I endangered him by bringing him along..."

There was a moment of silence with the group, everyone appearing despondent over their loss.

One CPU was not having it, however. "Pathetic," Iris Heart scoffed at the display she was seeing, "I expected a lot more out of the people from this dimension, but I guess I was mistaken."

"Plutia..." Purple Heart mouthed quietly.

"My dear Neppy, I expected far more out of you, as well," Iris Heart said in disappointment, "Are you going to give up that easily? As far as I know, they simply took Tommy with them."

"I have to agree with Plutia on this one," Black Heart added, feeling frustrated by what she was seeing, "I still don't quite understand Thomas' role here, but so long as he's alive, we can still save him."

"Pardon me a moment," Nepgear interjected, having finished checking on the turret for now, "I can't help but overhear. Neptune, Uzume, everyone... I know that Thomas would want us to continue our journey, to save Vert and Leanbox. We can rescue him, too. I believe him when he says he has faith in us."

Uni nodded, "We still have all of us, and that's still enough to take down all those robots. And, like Nepgear said, I'm sure this is what Thomas would want us to do."

"I'm not done teaching him about magic just yet," Ram spoke, jumping in with her sister behind Nepgear, "So I say we get him back! Until then, no more moping!"

"Uh huh!" Rom said as she stomped her foot to take her own stand, "We won't go back! We'll save Tom! And Vert! And Leanbox! Determination!"

Uzume laughed a bit, "Haha, I knew you girls wouldn't let me down. Sorry I went all crazy..."

"It's alright," Purple Heart said, "We all got caught up in the moment. Everyone is right. We can still do it. Together, we'll show these robots the power of the CPUs and the people that believe in them."

 **"Yeah!"** The group exclaimed to pump themselves back up. Only Sara kept quiet, warmly hugging the still-sore Uzume. Despite the setback, and loss of Thomas, the CPUs still had resolve. The mistakes they all may have made couldn't be undone, but it was alright. They knew they were still more than capable. Working together, they will be sure to liberate Leanbox, find Vert, and rescue Thomas. This seems to be shaping up for a daring rescue mission! So join us next time when-

* * *

 **Uzume Tennouboshi has left the party.**

 **Plutia has left the party.**

 **IF has left the party.**

 **Compa has left the party.**

 **Nepgear has left the party.**

 **Neptune has left the party.**

 **Blanc has left the party.**

 **Rom has left the party.**

 **Ram has left the party.**

 **Uni has left the party.**

 **Noire has left the party.**

* * *

...

Uh oh...


	67. ACT IV: The Dream

Leanbox. The barrier that surrounded the city isolated its people from the rest of Gamindustri. It was presumed that nothing could get in or out of the city thanks to the firewall. It was different for the robot invaders. The firewall did not damage their frames whenever they passed through. In addition, as part of their current efforts, their kidnapping of individuals to bring back for captivity, the robots could activate a small gap in the barrier to allow safe passage for their cargo.

Such was the case for Thomas, who was captured earlier and taken by a Dragon Bot through the barrier. It stopped briefly close to the barrier, sending out a signal with the rudimentary beeps and bloops their speakers were equipped with. This allowed a small opening in the barrier to allow the Dragon Bot through without hurting its prize. Perhaps, if one could find out more about this signal, someone could sneak through the barriers. This was only speculation on my part, though.

What I can say was that, for whatever reason, the robots have taken Thomas into custody, likely to whatever prison they have under their control. Even moreso than Lastation, it appeared that the invaders have taken the city under their grip, isolating their citizens and taking over key buildings, including the Basilicom itself.

This did not mean that the city was completely subdued. Despite the numbers the invaders had, Leanbox was a massive city. Despite the uncertain fate of their CPU, their citizens have been resistant. Graffiti detailing their disdain for the new regime and call for resistance could be seen on many buildings, and the sound of gunfire and fighting were commonplace.

That said, the invaders had a clear advantage, thanks to all the robots that fled from the mainland. Oh, and I guess that **giant robot dragon in the sky** might have something to do with it. Seriously, these guys must have tremendous resources. Styled after the eastern "long" dragon, this giant creature floats above the city, a symbol of air supremacy that the robot invaders have.

Like the Carrier that haunted the capital city of Lastation, this one also carried and deployed robots. What made it even more dangerous was that each 'scale' on this creature was an attached Dragon Bot that could separate itself for deployment, or stay and contribute to the dragon's overwhelming firepower. This, in addition to the few hangars along its long body, allowed it to easily dominate the skies above Leanbox. The CPUs were likely going to have a difficult task ahead of them, it they plan on liberating Leanbox in this current state.

* * *

Everything was a bit hazy.

Thomas stood in what appeared to be a Basilicom. At least, that's what it looked like. He'd seen this main room in every Basilicom he visited. He wasn't sure which Basilicom at first, since he was having quite a headache. He wasn't sure how he got here, or what he was doing prior. Wasn't there something he had to do? Seriously, Thomas, snap out of it.

Although he wasn't paying attention to what this humble narrator had to say, Thomas moved around the lobby, trying to get his bearings. As far as he could tell initially, he was the only person in the room. This was rather strange, considering that the room looked to be in good shape, with the lights working and everything.

"Uh, h-hello?" A woozy Thomas slowly mumbled, barely able to keeping his head up. He wasn't all there, and it showed throughout his time here, stumbling a bit while walking.

Thomas tried once more, calling out, "Is anyone here? Hello?" No response came back. Thomas rubbed his forehead, confused, "Did I come here on a holiday? Where'd everyone go?" He groggily stumbled around, checking a few of the doors. It slowly dawned on him that this was Planeptune's Basilicom, opening the doors to see familiar offices and rooms that he worked in for some years. Just like the lobby, however, these rooms were also devoid of people. Not a CPU, no Histoire, not even a visitor or staff member. On the plus side, everything looked like it was in pristine condition. Plus side? Wasn't the Basilicom still having some repair work? Maybe it was all fixed by now?

Frowning, Thomas turned back to the center of the lobby, "Not a single person. Where could they be? Maybe they're all outside? A festival or event happening? If only I could remember..." It was getting a little frustrating, as his headache wasn't going away, nor was this feeling that something else was off.

Nonetheless, he continued, walking over towards the exit. He finally went outside, stopping almost immediately at what he saw.

The firewall. It was still there, with electricity still coursing through the high sky. In fact, it looked like the barriers that were disabled earlier had returned.

Thomas blinked, "The firewall? It's still here? Wait, what happened?" He was starting to become more aware of what was around him. He could vaguely remember that he was in Leanbox. How did he get back here? And why did the barriers reset? Was that even possible?

"I wasn't here... I shouldn't be here..." Thomas had a pained expression on his face. This didn't make any sense to him, and he had more questions barely forming in his mind.

He stumbled closer to Planeptune's downtown area. Unlike the Basilicom, however, there were actually people moving about. He squinted a bit to get a good focus, but was unable to see much on any of them.

"There's people here, at least," Thomas commented, "But what are they gathering for?"

"Ah. There you are. I was wondering where you had gone to this time."

Thomas flinched, leaping to his side and turning to see a calm Uzume Tennouboshi hanging out, somehow standing beside him. "What the? Uzume? Just what in Gamindustri is going on right now?" Thomas asked in confusion.

"You seem more attentive than usual," Uzume continued to speak in this calm tone, though Thomas was unable to notice this shift. The CPU closed her eyes in thought, commenting on what she saw, "Everyone is gathering to save Gamindustri. I am sure you recognize them."

Thomas blinked, "I-is that so?" He wasn't really sure what was going on, considering he stood around the Basilicom for who knows how long. Strangely enough, just as Uzume told him so, he started to recognize a few of the people congregating. Indeed, just like that, he could make out the CPUs of Planeptune, Lowee, and Lastation speaking with some familiar faces.

"Alllllrighty!" Neptune remained as cheerful as ever, despite the situation. She pointed to her latest hire, proclaiming, "I want **you** to join the Nep Army! I need about twenty or so people for this job. Actually, however many it takes. We're throwing people in like there's no tomorrow, which might be a possibility, so all the reason you're coming with! Um, your name is Steve, right?"

The confused man corrected her, "Gary, miss Goddess. Hey, I'm not knockin' yer plan and all, but I was wonderin' why we gotta mass a bunch of people. How's that going aboot beating them bad guys?"

"Well, looking back at our last go or whatever," Neptune said in a serious tone, in spite of what she might be saying, "We spread ourselves too thin last time. So, this time, we're gonna do what the great strategists of old did. Throw a bunch of people at a thing! We'll Nep Rush those robots back to their main base and finish 'em off!"

Gary, the lone guard from Narita Village, visibly sweatdropped, "Sounds good, eh? But, uh, isn't that, like, dangerous?"

"Oh, definitely!" Neptune agreed, "But we can do anything if we all work together!" Gary smiled, though he wasn't too thrilled with the idea. Neptune noticed this and laughed a bit, "I don't mean **everyone** , obviously! A lot of people, though. It's gonna be the biggest party ever!"

As Neptune pursued having a very large party even by TRPG standards, Thomas looked over to see Blanc talking with Gabriel, the man they met during their trip through Lastation.

"In times of crisis," Blanc stated, in an attempt to be diplomatic, "it's important to rely on our allies. You, Mister Gabriel, are associated with Lastation, correct?"

"Indeed," Gabriel replied, clenching a fist, "What's more important, however, is relying on all our strengths. With your nation's magic users and hardened adventurers, and my nation's industrial capacity and tough soldiers, we shall truly show these invaders our peerless might!"

"Uh, sure," Blanc said with her eyes glancing behind her, "Neptune's idea of numbers is fine and all, but we really need to make up for last time."

"Leave it to all of us!" Gabriel exclaimed, "I'll get in contact with some of Lastation's strongest warriors, and you'll bring out Lowee's best. We'll form an elite group of true superheroes capable of taking down a giant threat! Er, alongside the goddesses, of course."

Blanc hummed a bit in the affirmative, though she didn't look too thrilled about having to deal with another group of strong adventurers. She then murmured, "Perhaps I should get the Gold Third in on this as well."

"Excellent idea, Lady Blanc!" Gabriel overheard, grinning widely, "I cannot wait to match up my own skills in action against such strength."

"We're fighting **with** each other..." Blanc grimaced.

Thomas slowly turned his head away from Blanc looking for the strongest of Gamindustri to see Noire speaking with the 'Admiral' who captained the LSS Noirina. Larry seemed fairly relaxed and confident speaking to Noire, "Fair Lady Noire, I think someone such as yourself can agree that numbers and strength are nothing without the proper equipment! My connections will supply our people with plenty of good weapons."

"Good equipment is essential for our survival, regardless of how our party is set up," Noire sighed a bit.

"Precisely, hahaha," Larry slapped his belly during his chortling, "We'll have people trained and comfortable with the best equipment we can come up with and dismantle all these antiques."

"I guess so," Noire said with a small nod, "We can't afford to go easy on this."

"Yeah, well, see, that was your last mistake," Larry explained as he raised a hand, "All of us were holding back, sneaking around and looking for other ways to stop all this. If we had pushed on this hard from the start, we would undoubtedly overwhelm the invaders."

Noire frowned, "We tried to figure out ways not to bring everyone involved into this fighting, but it can not be helped."

Something broke inside Thomas' head hearing all this, even with the current headache. It was bad enough to see Neptune and Blanc bringing in **almost** everyone in to deal with the threat. It was bad enough for Noire to agree - with not even a single argument - to fight them all directly, but to have Larry go on about this from the start after telling **him** to look back and try figuring out how this all started in the first place? They had to take their time before, but now it's rush to the goal?

"Are you kidding me?" Thomas exclaimed aloud, though his voice was too far for them to hear, "Are we really doing all this? We're going into a full-scale assault? Is this even possible now with these barriers? Do we even know where we're going? Why are we going along with all this?"

Neither the three CPUs, nor the three people with them, said anything in response, much to Thomas' anger. Thomas was going to head over there and give them a piece of his mind.

"You failed."

Thomas' fuming dissipated fast, and he turned his head a little towards Uzume, who was still standing at her spot, unmoved, keeping her arms crossed, and her eyes closed. Thomas had to reel his mind back in, as Uzume's words were clear. "Failed? What?" Thomas blinked some more, his memory starting to return. Something did happen prior to all this, he was certain.

"You failed," Uzume once more spoke plainly about the matter, certain of the outcome, "As expected, you were too weak to handle what was laid in front of you."

"What do you mean, as expected?" Thomas frowned, still trying to recall this failure, "What made you so certain of that?"

Uzume paused a moment, her eyes still closed, thinking. She then stated calmly, "Because I know much about you. You eventually fail. Whether it is messing up a phone or making pudding, your luck is terrible. When it comes to major events, however, it gets much worse. Disaster follows you."

"How would you know any of that?" Thomas grew weary, as Uzume brought up the time he messed up IF's cellphone, as well as his screwing up on that dessert for Neptune the other day. Unless those two talked, he doubted Uzume knew of this.

"I have done enough research," Uzume said with a light shrug, "Enough to know that eventually, whenever you are involved, disaster will strike. It is inevitable. You failed here, just as you failed before. It is just as with Ultradimension, or when you sailed too close to the Gamindustri Graveyard..."

There was an odd pause, as Thomas grew tense at the mention of those two events. It was getting a little to him. However, the next sentence was worse.

"... or what happened to your father."

This was it. This was the moment Thomas swiveled his entire body around to face Uzume in a clearly guarded position. He instinctively reached back for where his scabbard would be, but he soon realized that it's not there. Stuck with no weapon, he held up his fists.

The next thing that shocked him was immediately after saying that. Uzume opened her eyes, and the entire scenery changed. Thomas was no longer at Planeptune's Basilicom. Instead, as he looked around, Thomas recognized the place. He was inside the Colosseum. More specifically, he was in the arena, where people would fight one another to test their skill and potentially get some rewards. Many adventurers would come to this place, which sat around the former Gamindustri Graveyard, now a part of the newly-minted Azure Coast.

The place was strangely empty, with only Uzume and Thomas in the center of the arena. Despite what he's seen, Thomas kept up his guard, speaking aloud, "Alright, just who **are** you, exactly? You can't seriously be Uzume!"

Ignoring the question briefly, Uzume, or whoever this was, tilted her head at the man, "Huh. You are a lot more lucid this time around. Usually you would zone out before I got to this part."

"Lucid?" Thomas murmured softly to himself, as his mind was still trying to process what was happening, but with the headache and all, it was difficult. At that moment, though, more of his memory returned, and he came to a realization, "This is a dream!"

"Took you long enough to notice, detective," the figure of Uzume said dryly, "Unfortunately, it appears my message was too late for you."

"I'll ask again," Thomas returned his focus to the figure, "Who are you?"

"No one important," the figure stated simply.

"Nonsense," Thomas exclaimed, pointing a finger in her direction, "I never told anyone about... that!" He said in reference to the remark on his father, "If you know anything about that, then-"

"Then what, exactly?" The figure with Uzume's body and voice spoke, raising an eyebrow, "Even if this were real, I doubt you have the means to do anything."

"You still haven't answered my original question," Thomas seethed, **"Who. Are. You?"**

The figure cracked a smile, letting out a small laugh, "Haha, I do not have to tell you anything. No, Thomas, **you** are here to listen to **me.** " The figure turned a little to one side, and began walking, circling around Thomas, "At least, so long as you are dreaming, I suppose. I suppose that last fight sent you unwittingly into dreamland."

Thomas' eyes widened, though he still kept his guard up against the figure. The figure reacted with a small tap of a finger to her temple, "Ah, you are just now remembering your ass getting kicked? Good, glad we are caught up. In case, however, you feel you need a refresher, I can summarize once more..."

Thomas glared at the figure, trying to cope with everything, from the headache to the memories returning to the figure circling around him.

The figure sighed, "Silent **now,** are we? Fine. It does not matter. I know who I am, and I know who you are. I was trying to warn you away from all of this. But, it seems you could not help yourself."

"Warn me?" Thomas muttered, easing up a little, but still keep his distance away from the figure.

The figure once more sighed, "I have been trying to warn you for quite some time. Those recurring dreams did not get through to your thick skull. The message was simple. Stop what you were doing or face disaster."

Thomas was ready to curse this person out for suggesting such a thing, and perhaps even aligning with those invaders. As if to answer that, the figure scoffed, "I am not affiliated with those antiques, that I can tell you. I was going to say that you should have quit while you were ahead. Your task was done after Virtua Forest. You did not have to join Neptune's adventure, but you went anyway. Idiot."

Thomas stirred, frustrated to be stuck in this 'dream', unsure of what was happening to him in the meanwhile. He nonetheless tried to stand his ground, "Why in Gamindustri would I listen to your advice of all people?"

"Because I know you," the figure's tone grew slightly angry, but overall kept her calm demeanor. She took a step forward, jutting a finger accusingly, **"You** made a promise, long ago. You were not to fight. You were not cut out for it, no matter how much you leveled up. Your stats show this. Helping out in the initial stages, I could understand. Yet you continued this farce into Lowee and Lastation."

"I... I had to see it through," Thomas replied, irritated that this person has this advantage over him, "I can't let the past have me hiding in fear."

"A lot of good that did, you mindless Rabii," the figure countered, "What in Gamindustri were you thinking? Did you really think that magic or this 'resonance' was going to carry you through? For what?"

Thomas grimaced, not wanting to answer vocally. Not that it mattered, since the figure would know the answer.

The figure closed her eyes, leaving the two with a quiet pause. This pause quickly ended with 'Uzume' rolling her eyes back, "Are you kidding me? You wanted to..." The figure turned away and walked away briefly in frustration. After trying to keep herself composed, 'Uzume' turned back, saying angrily, "You really **are** a stubborn idiot!"

"Says the one who's been trying to warn me in my dreams?" Thomas said dryly, looking to at least have one shot of wit at the figure lecturing him.

The figure grumbled, "Honestly? I wonder why I should have bothered." She took a few steps forward closer to the guarded Thomas, "I can not believe your commitment to this. Does that debt to the goddesses mean that much to you? Why do you even bother?"

Thomas simply glared at the figure, who gave a mocking smirk, "Do you really like them **that** much? Can't resist a cute girl? Is it out of a new sense of love?" She paused, then let out a mocking laugh, "Not even? Is that what you think? You can make new friends after all this time? Do you really think they would accept **you** as one?"

"I fight for my friends," Thomas said in the driest of tones. He knew it was a cheesy line, but he said it anyway to further incense the figure.

"Is that so?" the figure mocked him, "Is that what you tell yourself now? When you started following the CPUs, you didn't do it out a sense that you can make friends with them. You didn't see people. You saw an opportunity, just as they do now with your 'resonance.'"

She got closer, the sounds of her feet echoing through the empty arena, "You didn't see people, or goddesses to be worshiped. You saw a means to an end. They're nothing but tools to you. If you could just help a little bit, you could get them to do the things you couldn't do... because you're weak." She sneered, "But no amount of effort is going to pay off that debt, to the living or the dead."

 **"Shut up!"** Thomas had enough, and the figure was just close enough for him to attempt to punch her right in the face. Using Uzume's likeness was insulting enough to him, but after all this, he wanted to stop this by any means.

Unfortunately, his punch was telegraphed well in advance to the figure, who casually side-stepped Thomas' attempt, watching him fail to connect with anything but air. Thomas couldn't even react before finding his face connecting with Uzume's powerful fist.

The figure apparently had Uzume's strength, as well, and the punch sent him flying a few feet before he crashed and burned, rolling along the floor until stopping with his face on the cold floor. Even though this was a dream, he certainly felt that punch, and he was barely able to hold consciousness. Kinda strange in a dream, but there you go.

"Tch," the figure cracked her knuckles, as her mocking from earlier soured into a frown, "You can't even win a fight in your own dreams. That's the thing, isn't it? You know full well, those CPUs will find others with resonance that are much stronger, smarter, and overall **better** than you. And then, they'll drop you faster than any joke party member. Get rekt, fool."

Thomas struggled to stay up, and he could feel his vision grow even hazier. As he was starting to lose consciousness, the figure once began walking, and the echo of footsteps continued in his ears.

"You had your chance after Planeptune to leave," the figure said, "and what's worse, this failure won't be saved by the goddesses coming in at the last second this time. I can only imagine what those robots are doing right now... checking through your inventory."

The tome! Thomas' eyes mimicked my own as he realized the gravity of what was just said.

"Exactly, the tome," the figure said, "The very thing that allowed the CPUs to break those barriers. I imagine the robots are looking through it right now, discovering just what secrets it holds. Who knows what they'll do with that info? Find a counter, set a trap, or maybe even intensify the barriers to the point where no amount of Share Energy, or resonance, can break through it. A present from you to the enemy! How quaint."

Thomas' eyes watered, barely able to stay up any further, and all he could hear as he faded was the figure finishing off her lecture.

"In the end," the figure said in contempt, "Gamindustri will fall, and it will be-

 **all**

 **your**

 **fault..."**


	68. ACT IV: I Need A Miracle

Thomas could still feel a headache as he finally came to, waking atop a standard mattress inside what appeared to be an old jail cell. It wasn't long before he felt sore all over his body, as he was still hurting from all the damage those robots did to him. That final electric shock that got him captured probably didn't help, either.

Barely able to keep his eyes open, Thomas tried to focus what little SP he had into his heal spell. It was rather tricky, however, for him to cast the spell while he was laying supine on the mattress, struggling to lift his arms. Pushing through his pain, Thomas slowly put one of his arms along his chest, before trying to lift up just to get some magic going.

His magic skills were still developing. Other than a decent water spell, he needed to work on training before he could heal more than a few bruises. A lot more training would be needed to get a strong healing spell, or some divine power. He was neither a CPU, nor a professional adventurer or medical practitioner in Gamindustri. Thomas could only manage a bit of healing, tickling along his body as his spell was deemed 'unsafe' for use on others. Thomas couldn't even react much to the tickling sensations. The overall soreness was more noticeable.

Eventually, he burned enough SP to heal some of his bruises, slowly but painfully lifting his upper body from the mattress and properly sitting up. Slumping forward, Thomas took some deep breaths to make sure that, indeed, he was still alive. It would take a lot longer for him to heal naturally, but he was up. Somehow.

He had plenty of time to heal, given where he was. Getting a look around him, he slowly recognized this as a jail cell, with only a few facilities to barely live through the day. He shook his head, headache slowly going away, and he looked out towards the lone cell door leading out.

"Looks like I'm in Leanbox, alright," Thomas grumbled to himself. He must have recognized this place from that TV documentary about Leanbox's old jail being reused from its predecessors. If I recall, long ago, before Leanbox was a nation and CPUs were a thing, humanity had its share of petty kingdoms that ran things and vied for more power. There were a few kingdoms that stood out, though, and none grew bigger than that of the mad king Yvoire. A paranoid man, the king would poison or imprison those he suspected of treason. To make sure there was enough space for a growing prison population, the king enabled the construction of a large medieval prison. After the king was deposed by practically everyone, the prison would be abandoned until the nation of Leanbox came into being. While it never filled up as much as it did under the mad king, it was nonetheless renovated for more modern times, and remained a curiosity for old history buffs.

Thomas narrowed his eyes, almost in reaction to my silly exposition, slowly jutting a thumb out into the hallway. Indeed, perhaps the other signs that Thomas could tell he was in Leanbox were the small Leanbox logos plastered along the hallway, and a few of the robots patrolling, passing by the cell.

The man's eyes widened quickly as he checked through his inventory. All the items and credits that he had in his inventory were cleaned out. Everything in there was gone, as well as his weapon and the tome that he carried with him. A terrible development for Thomas, who could not be sure if the enemy knew of the tome's value or importance.

Either way, he was left with nothing but the clothes on his back, quietly watching one of the patrolling robots go by his cell. The robot stopped, turning its head to look at the new prisoner.

Thomas frowned, trying to hold back his emotions for now, saying in a deadpan manner to the robot, "Hey. Uh, take me to your leader?"

The robot simply tilted its head briefly, before turning back to its patrol route, ignoring the question. Even if it could answer the silly question, it would only be in beeps and boops.

"Right, these are not aliens. Idiot," Thomas said to himself dryly. The robots weren't likely going to engage in conversation, anyway.

After taking another deep breath, Thomas slowly got up from the mattress, getting a better look around the cell he was put in. He was fairly certain he was in Leanbox's prison by now. He even stopped short of the of bars, slowly moving his hand forward until it met with a mildly-irritating force field. Great, another barrier. These robots seem to love that stuff.

"Of course they keep this security in place," Thomas muttered. Thankfully, the barrier wasn't electrocuting him, just keeping his hand back. He was aware that the security systems were beefed up here prior to the firewall, in case someone thought their super-strength was enough to break through the old medieval bars.

He could make out a long hallway from his position, unable to see any other cell beyond. At least, any that weren't empty. He couldn't even hear anyone else around. He concluded that he was placed in an isolated section, away from any other captives.

He was alone.

Thomas sighed, moving to one side of the cell, his hand continuing along the force field before meeting the wall. He then tried prodding around the corner, hoping to find something to help him out of this. Maybe a hidden panel or a place to break through or dig.

Finding nothing of the sort, he continued probing around the cell for the better part of what seemed like hours. He was taking his time to recover his strength, HP, and SP, but it also gave him time to think. Despite all that happened, he wanted to do anything to get out of this. His concern over what happened to his inventory, the tome, and everything else worried him greatly.

That worry stayed at the back of his mind. He couldn't find anything out of the ordinary during his search. The robots didn't even seem to care that he was doing this, or at the least react. It didn't help that Thomas had very little insight into breaking out of a jail cell. His limited computer knowledge wasn't going to break through a modern force field, and even if he could get through that, the bars looked pretty sturdy.

He sat down on the floor, along on one of the walls, sighing in frustration. He wasn't getting anywhere. Slumping his shoulders, Thomas' mind was going all over what happened, becoming more depressed as time went.

Later, as Thomas sat there on his own, one of the robots finally stopped by his cell, holding a tray of... something? It placed the tray on the ground, then used its foot to push between the bars, and presumably through the force field, into Thomas' cell. Thomas blinked over at the tray, as the robot swiftly turned back to its patrol, ignoring Thomas' confused look.

Thomas inched closer to the tray, carefully opening the lid cover. Seeing what was inside, Thomas' expression worsened. He had heard from those who were imprisoned in Lastation that the robots gave them 'food', but now **he** got to see their wonderful cuisine. On the plus side, there was an ordinary mug of plain drinking water next to whatever passed as this meal.

It looked like a frozen grey blob that could be mistaken for hardened gruel. Actually, that's unfair to gruel. At least gruel looked like it could be edible, and had some nutritional value. This looked even less than that at first glance. Your guess as to how this 'meal' was concocted would be as good as mine, or Thomas' for that manner.

Thomas took his eyes away from the culinary horror to see the one utensil given. Grasping this plastic spoon, he stared at it for a moment before looking at the nearby floor, hoping to find a soft spot. Unfortunately, after a few taps here and there, Thomas frowned, as the spoon could not put even a dent. So much for a slow dig out. It also didn't help that he dared use the spoon to try to dig into the 'meal' and being met with a similar struggle.

"You're kidding?" Thomas dryly said as he tapped his food a few more times. Growing frustrated, he rapidly continued tapping on the blob trying to wear it down. Eventually, Thomas cracked the thing in half, though, unfortunately, the middle did not look any more appetizing.

Thomas gritted his teeth, finally able to break down the blob into smaller pieces, apprehensive about his first bite of this product. He wasn't even sure if he or his stomach could handle the odorless substance.

"Come on, Thomas, you're tasted a lot of terrible food," he said to push himself, "You can do this." His hand fidgeted, barely able to contain the small portion on the flimsy spoon. Bracing himself, he finally took the bite, tasting the sour, gravel-like substance and being barely able to chew on it, let alone try to digest it.

Yep. It was awful. I'm sure Thomas would long for the taste of even a Nep Bull right about now.

Despite the horrid taste, Thomas would eat a bit more of the meal, before stopping about a quarter in, unable to stomach any more. He pushed the tray aside, desperately grabbing the mug and trying to wash the wretched taste from his mouth. He rinsed his mouth with some of the water before spitting.

No longer wanting to have any more, Thomas used his foot to push away the tray, going back into his thoughts, while slowly sipping at the mug of water.

* * *

A long, indeterminate amount of time passed, yet it was hard to tell if anything moved. The tray was still where Thomas nudged it, with the food left untouched. Only Thomas looked like he moved a bit. Thomas dropped the mug beside him a long while ago, but was still lost in his own thoughts.

Growing tired, Thomas pondered returning back to the mattress to sleep. What else could he do? He still looked depressed from what transpired, and the meal certainly didn't raise any hopes.

Bending his knees close, Thomas stopped a moment rub his eyes with both hands. Finishing that, he placed his hands down on his knees, ready to push himself up, before thinking once more. His eyes focused on his hands while they settled between the knees, and the thought came up.

"Of all things," Thomas muttered, "Prayer? Who would I be able to pray to? And for what, anyway? Would it be of any use?"

Thomas clasped his hands together, unsure of what or even why he would pray. Would his prayer reach the goddesses beyond the firewall? Would even Lady Green Heart hear him, when he doesn't even know for sure where she was? What would he even say, compared to everyone else seeking help?

Sighing once more, Thomas shook his head. His faith relied on such hope for so long, and even with all his questions and doubts, he had to try. He held his hands together, and closed his eyes, taking a few calming breaths. He moved his legs to get in a better position, and began his prayer. His plea.

"I don't know who'll be able to hear this, if at all," Thomas said quietly, "But, whoever's out there, please hear me. I... I don't know what to do. I'm trapped like so many here and... I'm afraid." He winced, "I'm afraid of what'll happen to everyone now if... I need something. Anything. I... all I need, all we need... I need a miracle. I don't know what, but something to turn this around. Please. I..."

He cut his prayer short as he pulled his hands apart, stopping, "I need to sleep." He sniffed a bit, reaching up with one hand to again rub his eyes, "Maybe I can think of something later. Right now, get some rest. I hope." After that dream he had, he was hesitant to get back to sleep. Regardless, he slowly moved his way to the mattress, and went to lay on his side.

* * *

It was a long hour for Thomas. He had difficulty getting to sleep, and each minute he was on that mattress was excruciating. It was such that he even felt the mattress being rather uncomfortable, tossing from one side of the mattress to the other.

Just as Thomas heaved one last sigh before finally drifting asleep, he heard a noise from a far-off distance. It was faint, but it was enough for him to reopen his eyes and slowly sit up. He waited a moment, while turning his head to the bars. There did not appear to be any change immediately. Perhaps it was little more than something outside the prison.

Thomas then heard another noise, which a little clearer and more recognizable. It sounded pretty far away, but it was undeniable. More explosions could be heard, growing in magnitude, to the point where he could feel a small tremor from where he was.

Soon after, the siren he heard long ago from Lastation blared across the prison's speakers. Thomas gradually stood up and saw the patrolling robots stop, turning immediately and leaving down the hallway, the area now abandoned.

Thomas was perplexed by this action, though given the heavy gunfire that could be heard in the distance, the robots were likely sending all their nearby forces in for reinforcements. Still, was it wise to empty this hallway?

Thomas frowned, "Why not?" He answered me, though, in fairness, he was talking to himself, "I'm the only one around here, and I'm not likely to do anything." He looked downcast, before noticing an odd flicker of the lighting in the hallway.

The flickering continued, along with the noise of gunfire and explosions in the distance, before the lights all turned off as power was shut down. Thomas blinked, "What in Gamindustri is going on out there?" He got closer to the bars, and checked to see that the force field was shut down as well.

Before he could further think about this, another sound clicked, echoing through the entire prison, as well as in Thomas' cell. This followed with sounds of people yelling in the far-off distance.

Thomas blinked, as the sound was that of the cell door unlocking, and opening. Not wanting to waste any time, Thomas bolted out of the door into the hallway. It appeared to be a coordinated prison break, and the robots were too busy to deal with whatever gunfire there was that they left the cells alone, letting its prisoners break out.

"An odd miracle, this," Thomas remarked, "But I'll take it." He looked around the dark hallway a moment to get his bearings. As the prison's emergency power turned on, the lights were rather dim. Thomas was unwilling to take on any enemies with just his fists, so the lighting might prove useful to sneak about and hide from view.

The corridor was empty in both directions, with only a few empty cells seen between where he was and the one way out. He could hear so much between gunfire, explosions, and people causing chaos.

Thomas' mind came up with two objectives. The first was getting out of here, naturally. He'll check on the source of most of the noise to see if he can somehow go out that way. If not, he'll have to find another way out. The other objective, however, was to get back his inventory. He would have to explore the prison for that, unsure exactly where they would store a prisoner's personal belongings. He could only hope they didn't dispose of it all, or worse, stumble across the tome that's aided the goddesses so far. He would have to hurry to find it.

Crouching down, Thomas began to sneak along the corridor, finding the lane that had the least amount of light to cover. Despite the noise elsewhere, he didn't want to set off any more noise to give himself away.

* * *

Thomas didn't take too long to try and hide the moment he exited his lone corridor. There, he saw a lobby-like area with many cells, all opened from earlier. The inmates that were let out have taken to brawling with whatever robots were nearby. It was hard to tell whether these inmates were here thanks to the robots or actual crimes committed in Leanbox, but it seemed these captives were taking out their frustrations, all the same.

The robots, for their part, were somehow willing to forgo using their weapons and tried to use their own metallic limbs to subdue their captives. At least, some of them were. It appeared to be just a way to distract them while some of their colleagues tried to stun the inmates with their weapons. This didn't go so well as some inmates took points around the lobby to ambush any robot that attempted this 'dishonorable' tactic.

The chaos allowed for Thomas to quietly slip by one such ambush, and he went into the next hallway nearby, which was heading in the direction of where all the noise came from. Avoiding any other contact, Thomas went back into the darkest areas, sneaking carefully down the new corridor. He had to stop on occasion to try and blend in while one or two robots somehow broke through the brawl and dashed ahead.

Turning one corner, Thomas was getting close to the noise, only to find the fighting in the next area to be **far** more intense. Whereas the brawl in the lobby-like area was mostly close-quarters, there was a shoot-out between two sides in another lobby, with junk piling up in the middle to block some shots. Thomas couldn't make out the other side, but did notice the robots were further down while whoever was attacking was further up. The robots that rushed ahead of him earlier made use of some of the junk lying about as cover to get to their allies.

He noticed two other things, as well. First, he saw another corridor heading another way at the other end of where he was. It looked a lot more calm and empty in comparison to what he's seen so far. The other thing was that there were a **lot** of bullets going back and forth between the two sides. Thomas was mortified by this crossfire, and he contemplated going back. There was no way he could pass though this...

Just as he was in thought, another explosion was heard, and seen, in the midst of the battle between the two side, setting off a fire around one of the junk piles. Likely a grenade set off. Thomas narrowed his eyes at this. "Great, any more and the sprinklers may turn on." He muttered this to himself, even though he didn't really spot any sprinklers around the area. He was just noting how crazy things have gotten.

His mind finally came up with an idea, and he shook his head in disbelief, "Am I really going to do that?" He looked over the fire that spread, but remained contained to a small junk pile right in the middle. The battle continued, and Thomas glanced back and forth between where he was and the battle, debating.

"I'm going insane," Thomas said dryly, but seemed ready to push his plan into motion. He began to focus, and recalled his magic training. Tapping into his SP, he concentrated on one of the spells he's learned, and waited for the right time, when it was just noisy enough.

"Flood!" Thomas exclaimed in between a barrage of gunfire, casting his water spell right at the fire, dousing the fire as much as he could. The resulting smoke was enough to make things hard for both sides to aim and fire. This caused a small window where the two sides presumably were moving about, trying to get a better aim. This was time for Thomas to make use of this 'break', and made a mad dash through the crossfire, keeping his head low and inwardly praying he wouldn't get hit.

Nearing the end, Thomas dove into the empty corridor in the confusion, rolling to a dark portion and stopping to take a breather before checking to see if his body was made into Swiss cheese. "Too insane," Thomas muttered, before thinking back to his earlier magic spell, "thank you, Ram." He was relieved that his bad luck did not extend to that crazy stunt he did. Perhaps his high agility allowed him to make it through?

The smoke cleared up soon after, with the two sides continuing their battle. While Thomas was tempted to give the robots another spell to help, he wanted to keep low. He slowly got up, still checking for holes and bullet wounds, as he still tried to figure out who were fighting these robots. Suddenly, a large wave of bullets flew down at the robots, creating quite some devastation. Thomas' eyes widened at the carnage, looking up only to see some red hair and someone snapping their finger in the midst of the bullet hell. He couldn't make out much else before deciding to leave that battle behind, moving briskly away and down the new corridor.

Thomas even had to remark on what he just saw, "I thought I saw everything as far as battles went."

Not even close.

* * *

The chaos was the main priority for the robots, who sent more of their patrols from the other side of the prison as reinforcements. In one of the darker corridors, two robots closed a door behind them to a more lit room. A few beeps and boops later, the robots turned and walked off in the direction of the battle.

While their priority was on subduing the riot and repelling the invaders, the robots recently received new instructions. The two basic robots turned on a flashlight along their shoulders, allowing its light to cover more of the corridor. Recognizing that their emergency power gave poor lighting, people have been sneaking around their field of vision. The flashlights were meant to compensate for now, until main power could be restored.

The robots were instructed to keep watch even as they were redirected, and their flashlights moved left to right, making sure to cover nearly every angle. Despite their increased vigil, the robots moved quickly down the corridor until they reached the corner, turning and heading away.

Meanwhile, a voice could be heard from near the door the robots left behind, "That's going to be a problem." The voice belonged to Thomas, who dipped his head down from above, looking like he was hanging from the ceiling.

He sort of was. Seeing the flashlights from earlier, Thomas used his climbing skills to scale along the wall and cling onto one of the old pipes that moved across the ceiling, holding on and letting the robots pass. Thankfully, those new instructions didn't come with the message 'also, look up, you idiots.'

Thomas clung onto the pipe with all his limbs until the robots left, and Thomas slowly 'stood' down, looking around with some of his hair dropping down. "All clear," Thomas quietly spoke, "For now anyway. Those lights are going to be tricky." He slowly turned his head to the door the robots left, "This area looks promising, though."

Before he could say any more, however, he felt his grip on the pipe slipping, as his legs weren't enough to keep him up. Needless to say, Thomas scrambled for a while before failing to hold, and fell to the floor with an audible thud. On the plus side, he didn't cushion the fall with his face, landing on his rear instead.

"Ow..." Thomas grimaced, as he still felt pain from that fall. It was manageable, yet not a good landing. He didn't waste time lingering. He hurried back up and looked around to make sure no one was about. The coast was still clear, and he proceeded to the door. It was unlocked, but was a solid door with nothing to look inside.

Thomas went to the door, leaning close, and slowly turned the large handle. Despite the noise he still made, he pressed on, slowly peering in to see a small but well-lit corridor leading to another similar door. Whatever was past this door might be important, and Thomas moved forward. Again, like all the other doors, it was unlocked, and Thomas slowly peeked inside.

Boxes. Thomas could see a large, decently-lit, storage room. Peeking his head further inside, he could make out more and more boxes. They were all sorted neatly into columns, across a few rows. Whatever this was, Thomas would have to look further to see what was inside.

"Looks like a secret government room where they keep all the confidential things," Thomas observed dryly, "I just hope none of these things contain a secret artifact that'll melt my face off." He shook his head, "I need to see what's exactly here."

Going inside, Thomas closed the door and looked around the room once more, making sure there was no one around. He immediately froze when he spotted a camera, worried that his presence could now be seen. However, upon closer inspection, the camera appeared off, perhaps deactivated from the earlier shutdown. Still, this did not set his mind at ease. He darted off to the nearest box, and carefully lifted the lid to take a look inside.

He quickly closed the box, "Inventory!" For any adventurer, this would be like walking into a room full of overstuffed treasure. Only, instead of treasure, it was personal belongings.

Thomas grimaced at a thought, "I don't want to loot these people's things, I have to find my old inventory." The question was, how to find it? Was he really going to check each individual box? That would take too long.

Looking around, he noticed that on each box was a small label with a series of numbers. Looking between some of the labels, he could surmise that these numbers referenced the cell where the prisoner was held. This was a guess, however, as he had no map or reference to what these numbers corresponded to. The best he could do was try and narrow it down to more unique numbers, as his cell was fairly isolated from presumably everyone else.

It took some time looking through the numbers and peeking into a few of the boxes. Thomas felt awkward having to look through someone else's old inventory, but he had to be certain. Eventually, he came across one in particular, with many items in it. He noticed the amount of minerals and herbs collected over the years, the battle items, a few bladed weapons, and, most importantly, an old book.

"Here it is!" Thomas exclaimed, finding his inventory, and opening the box to reclaim what he lost. There were some sorting issues trying to transfer all the items back in, but he took it all back. He even stopped to check the old tome, weird scribbles and all. The robots didn't take it. That was a huge relief to Thomas, who took out his scabbard and fixed the weapon back onto himself.

Thomas smiled weakly, as he drew out the weapon to check its condition, saying softly, "Well, whoever you were, you may have to wait on that 'disaster' you speak of. I'm not done just yet."

Suddenly, the emergency power went out for a second before the lights returned, brighter than before. The camera also whirred and started up. Looks like power had been restored. Thomas just had to open his mouth.

Thomas sweatdropped, "Crap." His first reaction was to deal with the camera, casting a smaller version of his Flood spell to destroy the camera before he could attract any more attention. It didn't matter, as he heard the familiar siren play out just outside the room he was in, signaling the robots to his presence.

Grabbing from his inventory while moving quickly to the entrance, Thomas went straight to quenching down some battle items to fully restore his health and SP. He had no time to savor the taste compared to his prior 'meal', opening the door to see two robots at the end of the corridor, turning their weapons to fire.

Thomas shut the door in time to block the shots, "Already here? Fine!" Fully closing the door, he stood back and got his sabre ready. He goaded the robots, though it was to psyche himself up more, "You're going to have to break through here to get to me, so do it! I'm not backing down! I will make you all regret the day you dealt with Thomas A-"

His speech was cut off as the door was forcefully pushed open by one of the robots, and Thomas immediately leapt to the offense. Despite his rush, this wasn't like the last battle where he had little in the way of a battle plan. He had **a** plan. He made sure to be right in the middle of the smaller corridor, using his short blade to his advantage to slice at the robot's weapons before going for the final blow.

He wasn't going to let any robot through to surround him, not like last time. He purposefully stood in the way, as more robots came to reinforce. He kept the distance close so the robots would be forced to use their blades or fists instead of their guns, though he would occasionally move back to close the door again to cover, and recover with the items and magic he had.

In essence, he created a defensive bottleneck, a choke point, making it difficult for the robots to advance on him. Thomas was well aware of this, and kept up his tactics, enduring whatever shots he had taken throughout. When a robot did get some shots from a distance, he would counter with his Flood spell. Even if he couldn't outright destroy them with his first attacks, he would succeed in pushing them back, giving him time to recover.

While this was a successful plan initially, he was struggling to keep up with the reinforcements pouring in. Regardless of how many he destroyed, there were more coming, and he was not dwindling their number nor stopping their resolve. What's worse was that, once more, he was starting to run out of recovery and battle items.

His advantage was starting to fade, and part of him was starting to accept that, perhaps, this was it. It didn't matter, though. Thomas was going to keep going this time. He would sooner die on his feet-

His train of thought was derailed by the sound of slashing and gunfire nearby. He couldn't see from his narrow field of view, but he could tell that someone was intervening. The robots further back took notice and turned to fire on whatever was attacking, only to be surprised by other robots being knocked back at them. In the confusion, Thomas charged, using his shoulders to push back the robots into the line of fire.

The attacker continued the advance with a few slashes, drastically dwindling the numbers. Unlike Thomas, this person had decent enough strength to tear through the basic robots. Whoever this person was must have leveled up significantly.

Thomas then heard the switch from blades to bullets. The attacker fired repeatedly on the dwindling number, blindingly moving so quickly that Thomas couldn't see that the attacker leapt over the few remaining, firing some more from above before landing on the other side, finishing the last robot off in dramatic fashion with one last bullet.

Thomas shook his head. Was he dreaming still? Even more perplexing to him was the figure in front of him, casually pausing in pose for the dramatic reveal.

"Like a true protagonist, she comes in to save an ally in need! Don't mind me, just passing by and doing a good deed!"

The attacker even sounded like a certain someone, but everything seemed off. The attacker, casually spinning her pistol before putting it away, looked very much like Neptune. The large purple eyes, the d-pad hair clips on lilac hair, the parka, the bubbly attitude. Yet, it was all off. Her hair was much longer. Her parka and hair clips had a black, darker color scheme. There were no stockings or socks on her legs, just black and purple shoes on her feet.

Most notably, this Neptune was bigger. Much bigger from the smaller Neptune, almost taking similar proportions to her CPU form. This Neptune turned over to check on the clearly stunned Thomas, who probably had his mind broken again. Nonetheless, this Neptune smiled happily, warmly greeting the person she just rescued.

"Heya there. Whassup?"


	69. ACT IV: Nice

**("I don't care. I'm naming this chapter 'Nice' and you can't change my mind! Mwahahaha!" - an extremely immature author)**

* * *

Leanbox's main prison. A relic of an ancient time, before the CPUs. The prison had been in chaos, with prisoners rioting and people breaking out, with the robot invaders struggling to hold order. In the midst of this chaos, the recently captured Thomas slipped out of his cell, searching for his stolen belongings and a way out.

He had found his belongings in a storage room just as main power returned, and Thomas held against a wave of basic robots. Before he was overwhelmed, rescue came from someone he did not expect.

The figure, a taller, older-looking version of the human form of CPU Neptune, waited a moment to see if the man would return her greeting. When it looked like was not working, the woman took it in stride, amused, "You looked like you were in quite a jam, so I stopped by for a little assistance. No need to rush in with your praise, I can understand being swept away by my battling skills and excellent form. I don't mind!" She fidgeted a little, as it became clear she wanted the praise. She then tilted her head at the man, "You doing alright? Okay? Alive? Say something?"

Thomas rebooted, and his eyes widened in complete shock, **"Nep-"** He turned his volume down after catching himself, but still remained in shock, "Neptune!"

The person blinked at Thomas, surprised by the initial reaction, "Uh, yeah, that's my name. Do we-"

Thomas immediately cut her off, shaking back and forth and speaking in a panicked tone, "What the hell happened to you, Neptune? You, you grew all over! How is that even possible? Do CPUs really age after all? What happened? Did you lose your powers? Did the robots do something? Are you really alright? Where are the others? How long was I really out for? Did I mess several years? Is this a time skip? Am I in a dystopian future? Disaster really did fall? This is very bad. I'm sorry I got myself captured, Neptune. I must have failed you all. Please don't be mad at me."

"Woah, slow down, Speedy," a confused Neptune said with her arms out, sweatdropping, "That's a lot to digest in a short amount of time. First, you gotta chill a bit, okay? I'm gonna check on a few things here while we got a little window to breathe. Can you stay close?"

"Aaah?" Thomas was surprised by the response as the older-looking Neptune quickly moved beside him and into the storage room.

"Like to stay and chat some more, but can't stay too long," the woman stated matter-of-factly, swiftly skimming through each of the boxes stashed in the room with a purpose, "Those things will be back, and in greater numbers, etcetera and whatever."

Thomas was still trying to make sense out of everything. Regardless, he tagged along, curiously following, "Uhh, what are you doing?"

"Looking for something," Neptune bluntly said, before asking something of her own, "Say, Speedy, when you were rummaging through here, did you come across an ol' book? Looks like a diary or notebook, has my color scheme, that sort of thing?"

"Uh, not really," Thomas just watched Neptune skimmed through each box's contents, "You're going through this to find a diary of yours?"

"It's a bit more than that," Neptune said, before muttering, "Doesn't matter. Say, I know a better place we can go to speak more. It's nice, cozy, and doesn't have robots buzzing around. Shall we be off?"

Thomas blinked, "Uh, yeah, probably a good idea. Hey, you didn't take anything from the other boxes, did you?"

"Of course not!" Neptune smiled, amused by this, "Besides, there aren't treasure chests. A real treasure hunter wouldn't be stuffing her deep pockets with all this loot! I should ask the same of you."

"What?" Thomas flustered, "I would never-"

"I'm only kidding, Speedy," Neptune said cheekily, "You don't strike me as that kind of guy, even in a prison like this. Anyway, I'm done here, let's get out while we're still good."

Thomas nodded, and followed along. He was still utterly confused, but he wasn't going to say no to getting away from here.

* * *

In fairness, he wasn't really expecting all of this.

The good news was that Neptune, the one currently leading him out, went through a different route that didn't involve going through gunfire or get too close to the riots breaking throughout the prison. This wasn't to say they had to be careful, as both had to sneak around some of the ongoing fighting before getting into the corridor.

"So, whaddya think?" this Neptune said cheerily once they arrived at their destination, "It's nice and out of the way, **and** there's a way out here now. It's awesome, I know."

Well, she wasn't wrong. Whatever she used to blast a hole in the wall was pretty effective. It would take some bit of repair work to cover the tunnel leading out and presumably to the surface.

"Uhhhhh," Thomas wasn't sure how to answer this, but tried anyway, "I'm familiar with the locale. This was my cell, after all." Sure enough, this was Thomas' old cell. He could even see his old 'meal' tray left untouched near the new hole-in-the-wall. Even with the main power back on, the cell door remained open, as Neptune broke whatever mechanism was responsible for closing and locking it.

"It was, huh?" the woman didn't seem surprised by this, "Makes sense. I heard some people who were recently captured from outside Leanbox were brought here. Judging by what you were saying earlier, you're one of these people, right?"

Thomas blinked, still looking puzzled, but then grew surprised as Neptune lifted her hands into fists, determined look on her face.

"Was Neptune with you?" She pleaded, "Was she alright? Have you heard anything else from the other goddesses? I need to know how they're holding up from out there!"

Thomas once more looked confused, "Excuse me?" Wasn't Neptune with him, er, now?

"Oh! Of course! Silly me," Neptune winced, tapping her forehead, "I forgot I'm dealing with people from little me's dimension. Um, hey!" She waved politely, trying to reintroduce herself, "I'm Neptune, though not the CPU you know. I'm actually Neptune, a human traveler and bug collector from another dimension!"

Thomas tilted his head a moment, processing this information while this Neptune did a small bow. I think it's time for me to clue the readers in, in case they are unfamiliar. Although I will be calling her Neptune for now, she is more colloquially known to the fans as Adult Neptune. She hails from Ultradimension, where she never really became a CPU like Noire, Blanc, or Vert. Instead, she lived as a 'normal', as normal as a Neptune could be, human being until she was involved in the last crisis. That's more than I can say for now, but just a little heads-up.

My exposition was for you all, but this was also enough time for Thomas' brain to come to its conclusion. "Another Neptune? Wait, are you from Plutia's dimension?" Thomas asked in genuine curiosity, "Ultradimension, I mean?"

Neptune pondered for a second, "Plu... ultra... it all sounds very familiar, so I think so? It's the one where there's an active portal from here, right?"

"Yeah, that one!" Thomas exclaimed, "That's amazing! I thought there wasn't an Ultradimensional counterpart to Neptune other than Plutia, but here you are!"

"Yyyyep," Neptune smiled, "Seems you know quite a bit!"

"Ah, well," Thomas said in a bit of hesitation, "I guess you can say that."

"Don't leave me hanging!" Neptune pressed on, "What's **your** name? I want to know what happened! Is little me alright? Tell me!" She shook in place, closing her eyes, "Please? I'm getting antsy just thinking of it! Tell me tell me tell me..."

Despite her growth, it seemed this Neptune shared some of the other's impatience, or eagerness. "Okay, okay!" Thomas replied before Neptune kept going, "I'll tell you! Just a moment ago you were telling **me** to calm down."

"So I did, hehe," Neptune tittered, even as she waited impatiently.

"R-right!" Thomas straightened up a bit, before trying to calm back down. He was tempted to be formal with his greeting, but dialed it back, going with a simple bow of his head, "M-my name, er, name's Thomas. Uh, I'm a servant to the goddesses, really, some bureaucrat. I came with a group of people set to liberate Leanbox from the firewall. That group included Neptune and the CPUs and Candidates of the other nations."

He was a little hesitant saying all of this, his eyes glancing away briefly. Part of him was wondering why he would be so open about this so quickly. While he felt he could trust this person, this Neptune, he wasn't certain that it was wise to say all of this. Maybe it was everything that shook him for the past day or however long it took, but Thomas felt odd about it all. It was rather surreal.

Despite Thomas' trepidation, what he said seemed to have had a positive effect on Adult Neptune. Her eyes lit up, a look of hope upon her bright face, "Oho? Little me's turning the tide over there? Wait, they're planning to liberate us?"

Thomas nodded briefly, to which Neptune bounced happily, "Way to go, me!" She stopped again, "Wait, everyone?"

Thomas again nodded, "Blanc and Noire are helping out, as are the other CPU Candidates. Even the CPU from your dimension, Plutia, is helping out."

Adult Neptune grew more hopeful, as she got closer, so much that she even went in and held Thomas' shoulders, "All of them? Wait! Please tell me, and be honest! Was there another girl with them too? Has red hair, talks about being cool, and is also a CPU. Did you see anyone like that?"

Thomas blinked repeatedly as Neptune really got into this. Hearing the description, Thomas widened his eyes, "Uzume?" Although he was surprised that she knew, he had to remind himself that others knew of her rebirth long before he did. He continued after Neptune nodded, "Y-yes. She's also with the group."

Neptune hopped back, throwing her hands up and back to cheer this development, "Yes! This is so awesome! I was feeling a little down of late, but this news is more than welcome!" She clapped her hands together, "Thank you so much, Tommy! You don't mind me calling you that, right?"

"Uh, no, it's fine," Thomas felt a bit awkward, glancing away, "Neptune, er, the one I know called me that, too." Trying not to look directly at the excited Neptune, Thomas checked through his reclaimed inventory, finding his phone and checking the date on it. Much to his relief, he did not travel far to a dystopian future, as the date listed on the barely-charged phone was not too far away from when he was captured.

Neptune beamed, before once again being reminded of something else, "Oh! I should ask about how they were doing. Are they alright?"

"Last time I saw them was the night before," Thomas murmured, "Except for Uzume. She and I were trying to save a farm from a robot attack. There were so many. I was knocked out and brought here. I'm sorry, but I don't know if Uzume or the others are alright."

"Oh," Neptune was brought down a bit by this news, "I sure hope they're doing okay."

"As do I," Thomas muttered, before he heard some sort of vibration sound coming from Adult Neptune's pockets, "Hmm?"

Neptune grimaced a little, rolling her eyes as she brought a small device, similar to Uzume's visual radio, only much more compact. "Y'llo," Neptune said to the device after pressing a small button on it.

"I totally appreciate this informative conversation, but do you mind speeding things up a few levels?" The voice that came from the device was fairly clear with little distortion. Regardless, Thomas didn't recognize this voice before. It sounded male, but Thomas being tone-deaf meant it was difficult for him to surmise for certain.

"Been listening in, huh?" Neptune said to the voice, "I wanted to know what was happening outside. Can you blame me?"

The voice sighed, "Yeah yeah, I get it. You did go out of your way to find the new prisoner. We don't have **all** the time in the world, you know. There's a very important mission. The others are doing fine with their distraction. It's the **extraction** that I am waiting for."

Thomas pointed casually at the communicator, "So, who's the one in rush here?"

"Oh, just a poor innocent young maiden who's been helping out," the voice said with a little dramatic tone, "The little power outage earlier was my doing. You're welcome, by the way. Still, we're running the clock here. You can take the tunnel Neptune just made out. I'm sure one of the people from the underground resistance will help you from there."

Thomas raised his eyebrows, looking over at the hole in the wall, "You made this?" Adult Neptune smiled sheepishly in a quick response.

"This hasn't been the first prison break," the voice explained, "These robots are pretty bad with the security here, honestly. What rock have they crawled out from under, I wonder? Anyway, get going now. Go. Neptune, get on track already!"

Neptune looked a bit irritated by the voice ordering her around. Thomas nodded slowly, "A-alright. I'll get out of your way. Best of luck, miss Neptune."

Thomas was a little concerned about what was going on, but he had his priorities. His inventory and tome were reclaimed, and leaving the prison would be best. He could find out more about this underground resistance and how they're holding up in Leanbox. At the very least, he would search for a safe spot to hide for a bit while formulating his next plan.

Thomas looked inside the tunnel that was recently created. He took a step inside, and was just about ready to head out.

"Hey, why not come with?" Adult Neptune asked in the spur of the moment.

"Ghh? S-seriously?" Thomas stammered, stunned by the question.

"Neptune, what are you doing?" The voice said with a small sigh. He didn't sound annoyed so much as reconciled to Neptune's apparent randomness. "This is not a time to accept more party members."

"This is totally the time," Neptune countered, "Besides, you said as part of the dealy-bob that I do things my way. Well, how about it, Tommy?"

Even as the voice from the communicator was mulling over Neptune's decision-making, Thomas was rather perplexed, "Uh, I probably would get in the way."

"Nonsense," Adult Neptune stated, "Anyone who's managed to sneak out from here to that storage area so quickly must be pretty good. You also seem pretty capable holding off those robots for a while."

"Capable?" Thomas raised his eyebrows at this, "I don't know. I was barely able to hold."

Neptune held up a hand, initially holding up one finger, "Ah, see, that's why I think having two people will help." She switched her fingers into a 'V' sign, "We can cover each other's back. I'm sure you wanna get back at those baddies for putting you in here and making you eat what they label food."

Thomas flinched. Revenge may have been on his mind, sure, but being reminded of that meal, especially since it was still there nearby, made him a bit nauseous.

Neptune giggled, "Hehe. I am also sure you'd be on board helping out? Together, we can totally raise a little hell. Besides, I have a feeling you'll come in handy."

"What kind of feeling?" The voice from the communicator asked quizzically, "A hunch, really?"

"Hey, I'm a protagonist!" Neptune proclaimed, "I can't describe such feelings so easily! I just know! So, Tommy, whaddya say? Wanna join in?"

It was weird hearing all this to Thomas. A sense of deja vu came back, thinking back to just after Planeptune was saved. It took some goading from Neptune - the CPU - to keep him from leaving, and to continue this quest. Since then, he remained restless, worried about possible disaster befalling him. That dream with the figure pretending to be Uzume only brought that worry to the forefront. Now, again, Neptune - this one he hardly even knew existed - was asking him to join in, thinking he would be an asset. Him? Really? That was hard for Thomas to believe. As narrator, I concur with this opinion.

Yet, Thomas turned over towards Adult Neptune. There was another part of him, one that wanted to openly defy that recurring dream, and what that figure warned. Defiance against that fear.

Thomas nodded, taking a step back out of the tunnel, and readjusting his scabbard, "Sounds dangerous. I'm in."

Neptune's smile widened, "O-kay! Welcome to the party, Tommy!"

"Oh, whatever, hurry up and get me out of here already," the voice complained, "This place is so cramped and unbecoming."

Thomas blinked, hearing that last bit, "Does this mission of yours deal with getting him out?" He asked Neptune, pointing at the communicator.

The voice answered, "That's the **idea.** I was but a fair tourist, admiring the nation that was Leanbox. I sat back, relaxed, even took up a little sculpting, being quite the cultured artiste. Then this firewall came down and I was jumped by those tin cans before I could finish my daiquiri. That was as rude as this contraption they've put me in. Apparently these things want to research me and my wonderful tech, er, techniques."

"Research you?" Thomas was puzzled.

"Yes," the voice left it at that, "But they left themselves open, and I've managed to tweak a few things here and there. I've been keeping them away from me, and helping the underground resistance. Now, though? I want out."

"Can't you do that on your own?" Thomas asked, "Sounds like you're fine."

"I can do plenty, but I'm stuck here physically, surrounded by robots," the voice explained, "soooo yeah, gonna need a way out. Can we get to saving me already?"

"Not yet," Neptune said to the communicator, "I gotta make a stop first."

The voice grew a little irritated, "Finnnne. I'll be waiting! Tootles." With that, the communication ended with a click.

Thomas quirked an eyebrow, mouthing quietly, "Tootles?"

Adult Neptune shrugged at Thomas, "I don't really get it, either. I only recently joined this group after they rescued me from capture."

"You were captured?" Thomas asked, as Neptune motioned him to follow her out of the cell and into the still-empty hallway.

"Yeah, pretty much got jumped while I was chillaxing," Neptune grumbled, "They even went and nabbed my Nep-Note! Oh, that's the book I mentioned earlier. FYI, keep an eye out for a purple notebook and a fairy girl who's easily bored. Did you get that?"

"Uhhh, purple notebook, bored fairy girl?" Thomas was already a bit lost.

"I'll tell you more, later," Neptune promised, "Besides, our mission first needs to get some aid. Our 'friend' here told me where they've been keeping a few of the VIPs, and we're gonna go bust a move, beat some baddies, yaddi yaddi yadda."

"We're just gonna go marching in there?" Thomas winced.

"Of course not, silly!" Neptune mused, "We'll sneak as much as we can, **then** do a symbol attack! We have to use every advantage to get that sweet EXP. You've done adventuring, right?"

"Only recently," Thomas said dully, "Kind of a long story."

Neptune smirked, "Just stay on your toes and follow me. I may not be a CPU, but can you put your faith in me?"

Thomas' face reddened a bit at the phrasing of that question. He was still relying on his faith, apparently, even for a non-CPU, "Y-y-yeah. I'll trust you."

"Awesome! Come on, Tommy. Let's dance!" Neptune said with a teasing wink. Thomas knew the other Neptune was a little tease, and Adult Neptune was doing the same. He sighed in a bit of frustration, to which the older-looking Neptune drew great enjoyment out of.

He was unsure whether to like or regret this.

* * *

It was rather strange, but Thomas felt some of that confidence returning. Adult Neptune was no goddess, but she was very strong. Although she sometimes used her pistol, she was more confident wielding dual blades. The fact that she would effortlessly switch between the weapons was frightening enough, but dual wielding katanas on top of that with relative ease? This ambidextrous adventurer was less a goddess and more like a demon whenever she fought.

She also had some bit of sense not to engage in battle all the time, despite her offensive prowess. "Slash and dash" wasn't just some term Neptune said, it was how she approached fighting.

At first, Neptune and Thomas were sneaking past the prison rioting and fighting, avoiding direct confrontation. Once they got deeper into the prison, Neptune kept looking around her while the two moved. The two tried to keep quiet in the shadows while the robots were patrolling, sometimes even so much as scaling the walls to avoid getting spotted by the flashlights.

However, Neptune would begin a fight when she saw a clear advantage. Two robots on their lonesome in a relatively-empty corridor were easy pickings, for instance. Neptune would clue Thomas in with a wave of her hand before launching her attack, mostly to get their attention while Thomas would come in afterwards. After the two finished the robots off, they would quickly dash off to a spot where they could hide from reinforcements, and wait for them to pass or leave before continuing on.

This was a little risky, and Thomas still wasn't too sure about doing this, or why he was even invited to begin with. Neptune was more than enough for what she was doing, he most likely thought. He understood at the time CPU Neptune invited him, it was because of some of the history they had, and she wanted more of her friends tagging along, not to mention Thomas having that 'resonance' provide his CPU allies with a boost.

Adult Neptune, on the other hand, wasn't getting any boost, nor did she really struggle much during the fighting. In fact, he felt like this Neptune was showing off a little. Was that really the only reason?

The corridors became a little darker as they headed into more open corridors, at this part of the prison was connected to a myriad of pipes and other things that run under the main city. There were fewer cells and more rooms where, supposedly, people who ran the prison would be resting in. The robots really weren't so frequent here, so Neptune and Thomas had more space to move in.

Thomas sat in a corner in one of the corridors, and Adult Neptune came over to kneel beside him, keeping her eyes focused on her surroundings. Thomas was in his thoughts when they were interrupted by Neptune quietly speaking, "How you holding up so far, Tommy?"

Glancing at the surveying Neptune, Thomas smiled wryly, commenting, "Managing, so far. Though, I don't feel like you needed my help there."

Neptune's smile grew a little, as though she was expecting that response. "Au contrarian," Neptune said, "You're doing fine. In fact, all that fighting from before? I was just doing that to see how you fight."

"What?" Thomas held back from saying it out loud, but was caught off-guard by her comments.

"Relax, I picked some pretty easy fights," Neptune stated, "The basic robots are pretty useless on their own. Easy experience, and I wasn't going to let those baddies do anything to hurt you if it somehow got bad."

"So I am pretty weak," Thomas muttered, feeling a little down.

"Strength-wise, sure, you're no offensive powerhouse," Neptune admitted, "But I can see you've had a bit of training. I can even see some of the inspiration for the fighting. Nepgear?"

Thomas flustered, "Uh, well, she taught me a few things, not much..."

"I can see it by the way you're holding the sword sometimes," Neptune stated as Thomas held his sabre up, recalling the small bit of training Nepgear offered.

Neptune nodded, "I knew it. I also notice when you attack, it's very precise. You know where their weak points are?"

"I've fought enough of those things to know where to hit by now," Thomas said. He had to make every slice count, after all.

Neptune took out one of her katanas, holding it just by Thomas' sabre, "My blades are pretty good stuff, but sometimes it's a little tricky getting through that armor. But, when **you** attack, you cut just enough of that armor for me to slash right through it."

"I-is that so?" Thomas said at this observation.

"Yep!" Neptune replied, "There's no need to feel so down, Tommy. Even a little bit of help is better than none, and I am very happy to have some. Besides, there's more to it than just that."

Thomas raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean, exactly?"

Adult Neptune gestured her free hand for Thomas to follow her, "We're getting close. I'll show you." She got back to standing, as did Thomas, and the two moved further down the open corridor. Eventually, they stopped and moved to one side, taking cover while they spotted something ahead.

Ahead, there was a larger room that was locked behind a locked door, similar to the storage room Thomas raided earlier. However, unlike that door, this had robots actually guarding the door. Thomas saw a few of the usual basic robots standing around, but also noticed a few others mixed in.

"Do you recognize those robots over there?" Neptune pointed them out for Thomas.

"Elementals," Thomas winced, "Yeah, unfortunately."

Neptune hummed softly, "That's what you call 'em, huh? I've had some difficulty with those and getting through that thick armor."

"You have some elemental attacks, right?" Thomas asked in an aside. It was true that elemental attacks were enough to negate some of that armor, but they were still sturdy robots.

Neptune laughed meekly, "Haha, well, about that... not really, no."

Thomas sweatdropped, "You serious?"

"Point is," Neptune went on, purposely avoiding having to respond, "We have someone who **does** have some elemental magic. That water spell was yours, right?"

"Well, yes," Thomas said, "It's the only elemental magic I got, though."

"Even a little bit of help is better than none, Tommy," Neptune repeated her earlier phrase, "I'll go draw their fire."

"Are you sure that will-" Thomas was about to finish asking his question before Neptune already took off. "And I thought I was more impulsive," Thomas frowned before following, staying in the shadows.

Neptune started with her gun, running in and firing wildly at the robots to get their attention. She wasn't terribly accurate, running while firing, but it didn't matter to her. Taking out at least one of the basic bots, she quickly dashed around, avoiding the incoming fire and steering their attention away from Thomas. Meanwhile, the elemental robots began charging up their armor, before flaring up with each separate aura. Fire. Ice. Lightning. There was even a robot that had dark energy flowing around it.

"Using dark and light as elements in your armor?" Neptune complained during her sidestepping, "I take issue with your manufacturing!"

It wasn't long before Neptune switched to her blades to cut up the basic bots coming at her first. The elementals got together and were ready to charge right at her when they were rudely interrupted by water sprouting up, as Thomas' Flood spell shot up, slightly damaging them.

The fire and lightning elementals struggled to retain their strong armor, and Neptune saw the opportunity. Raising both katanas, she charged in, slicing and cutting down through the armor with multiple slices. The katanas exploited each 'wound' and tore through the two elementals with ease.

It was down to a few stragglers. With Thomas dealing with the last few basic robots, Neptune focused her attacks on the other two elementals, using both her blades to keep on the offensive. Neptune grimaced, struggling a little to keep both robots focused on her. The two coordinated their attacks on her, the ice elemental sliding to her side while the dark elemental punched at her. Neptune crossed her blades to barely hold back the punch, but left herself open against the ice elemental.

Neptune braced herself but visibly felt the punch, taking some HP damage and feeling a good amount of pain, "Ahh! I thought ice was supposed to help with pain, owie!"

The ice elemental was readying for another punch, aiming right for Neptune's face. Just then, however, Neptune heard Thomas' voice calling out, **"Raster Interrupt!"** Thomas' sudden intervention was a surprise, as she didn't see this move before. The interrupting move knocked back the ice elemental, and Thomas continued to push the stunned robot back with more attacks, letting Neptune pushing against the dark elemental in front of her.

Thomas continued attacking the ice elemental, slashing repeatedly at its arms to keep it off-balance. During his first battle against an elemental bot, his attacks were not damaging at all. Now, he was able to deal some damage, a clear indication of his stats going up. It was still fairly weak, but Thomas had some positive change.

Thomas was starting to get tired from repeatedly slashing, losing his momentum. This was enough for the robot to push back, punching him and knocking him back a couple of feet, stumbling close to the locked door.

The robot had a couple of exposed areas, but was functioning fairly well, and began walking over when Neptune returned to finish it off with a flurry. "Useless, useless, useless!" Adult Neptune exclaimed with each attack, putting far more strength into each slice. Thomas could only watch in awe of Neptune's near-demonic ferocity. It also seemed that Thomas' earlier intervention allowed Neptune to finish off the other elemental, meaning the battle was over by the time Neptune was done here.

Neptune took the moment to catch a few breaths, before looking to Thomas, "You okay?"

"Y-yeah," Thomas blinked at Neptune asking first about him, "What about you?"

"Tis but a minor flesh wound," Neptune mused, "Nothing I can't heal with items, though. By the way, that move you just did? Nice."

"Y-y-you were very good, yourself," Thomas reddened at the compliment, "I just did what I could."

Adult Neptune smiled, going over to help Thomas back up, "That's what I want to see. Keep it up, and we'll be heroes yet." She went over to the door immediately after making sure Thomas was up on his feet, looking at over.

"Heroes?" Thomas shook his head, "I just want to help here... uh, Neptune, that door is locked, how are we going to-"

There was a click, and Neptune giggled softly as she opened the door. "We're good to go!" Neptune said lightly, not telling of whatever secret technique she used to unlock this door.

Thomas once again was surprised by this, "You're already full of surprises."

"Keep your eyes on me, then, because I'm just warming up," Neptune once more teased, before walking into the room further ahead. Like the storage room, it too had a small door leading to another locked door. A little click later, Neptune carefully walked into the room, eyes darting around.

It looked very much the same as the storage room, with boxes stacked in rows across. However, what caught the eyes of Adult Neptune and Thomas were two individuals, sitting against the far wall in a couple of restraints. These two were easily recognized by the humans, with Thomas looking even more surprised by what he saw. They were robots, and yet, not the ones that have been terrorizing this dimension recently.

The last time Thomas saw either of them, he was on an airship.


	70. ACT IV: Walk Of Exposition

**("Quite a bit of exposition this chapter, but hope you enjoy it all the same!" - An author not writing any short stories.)**

* * *

"Affimojas! Steamax! You guys alright?"

Adult Neptune was the first to react, calling out the names of the two robotic individuals held in captivity within this storage space, formerly guarded by the robot invaders. While Neptune rushed over to check on them, Thomas was also in a bit of shock. The last time he met them was when the firewall dropped, and he was on their airship.

Although Thomas wasn't familiar with all the details of Uzume's revival, he was aware of the crisis. He knew that those two were involved in some underhanded things, and at the time, he wasn't sure if he was to trust them. Still, people of the Azure Coast were interested in the airship, and he admittedly was curious. Therefore, he was sent as a representative to take a look around, check out the airship, see if they could make a deal out of it so they could maybe make more of these in the future. That was the idea. The two seemed friendly enough when they greeted him then.

Thomas didn't even have time to think about why Neptune quickly recognized them. There were a few whirring sounds indicating the two were still active, though it was hard to tell given their mech-like bodies not showing a lot of emotion. It was barely audible at first, but slowly grew before, finally, one of them spoke.

"Am... am I hallucinating?" A quiet, confused voice came out of the smaller, more nimble figure. "Miss Neptune? Is that you?"

There was some mumbling from the other, much larger figure, but it seemed like he was just waking up. Neptune nodded, "Hold still, Steamax. I'll get you out of these binds quick." She hummed herself a little ditty as she went over, bending her knees and began to figure out how to remove the restraints.

Steamax seemed to tense a little as Neptune got closer, even as he was waking up. "M-M-Miss Neptune! Y-y-you d-d-don't have to be-"

"I said hold still!" Neptune exclaimed, "I get that you get a little nervous around some girls, but can ya not squirm?" Steamax simply let out a small whine, but tried to remain calm.

"Steamax...?" The other voice stirred awake, "Miss Neptune?" The figure stirred a little as he came to, turning his head as best he could to check around him.

"You guys holding up alright? They didn't fry your circuits or anything?" Adult Neptune casually asked, slowly figuring out how to remove the restraints. Thomas viewed this curiously so that he could help out with Affimojas, the much larger figure.

 **"Great maker's ghost!"** Affimojas blurted out, sitting up straight and much more awake now, "How in the world are you even alive?"

For Adult Neptune, it was hard to tell what he was referring to, but made the assumption, "Ah, well, I had a bit of luck, some help, and a healthy diet that doesn't include a block of cement."

"I was not referring to you, Neptune," Affimojas corrected her, "I was referring to **him."**

"Wh-what is it, General?" Steamax questioned, turning his head about before noticing the other figure in the room, "S-Sir Thomas?"

"Hello again, gentlemen," Thomas said with a small wave to greet, "Odd to be meeting under such circumstance."

"How is this possible?" Steamax asked in shock, "The airship was hit during the firewall drop. We saw you fall off."

Adult Neptune blinked repeatedly, "Uhh, come again?"

"Long story," Thomas said, to all three, moving over towards Affimojas to help remove his bindings, "Divine intervention, to answer your question, sir Affimojas. Hold still, I'll help you out."

"I see," Affimojas said, keeping still while pondering this, "It is a relief to see the both of you."

"Indeed," Steamax agreed, "To answer your question, Neptune, we've been holed up in this prison since we crashed. Those robots haven't really done much with us. They just kept us in here like we were disposable spares."

"A flagrant insult," Affimojas stated, growing irritated, "To be lumped in by those old contraptions with something akin to a spare tire! I am **not** some spare parts! I am Affimojas, general of peerless intellect, mighty wielder of information, and rare item collector!"

Thomas winced, "Uh, sir Affimojas? Your moving nearly crushed my foot."

"Oh, my apologies," Affimojas relented, "Do what you can to get rid of these binds."

"There you go, Steamax!" Neptune smiled, moving back to give the newly-freed robot some space, "I got rid of the restraints. Can you move now?"

"Y-y-yes, thank you, Miss Neptune," Steamax said, slowly moving his legs before himself up to stand, "Unfortunately, the invaders have taken what was in our inventory."

Neptune shook her head, "We won't have too much time before those robots come back here. Our little distraction bought time, but we gotta move out soon."

"I hope you have a plan for that, Neptune," Thomas said as he worked on the last restraint for Affimojas, "Somehow, I don't think we can sneak around effectively with the big guy over here."

Affimojas took some offense, "I'll have you know that I am quite capable of sneaking around! Though, not having my weapon is rather... inconvenient."

One last click, and Thomas finished removing the restraints. Steamax, meanwhile, looked at Neptune, "I'm assuming you know of the location?"

Neptune nodded, "Yep! It's not too far away. In fact, we passed it on the way here."

Thomas gave Affimojas space to get up. Actually, quite a bit, given that the robot's size. Steamax was a tall but slender robot, who had the uncanny ability to blend into his surroundings. Either that or people in Gamindustri thought a robot ninja was too unremarkable to notice. Affimojas, on the other hand, was huge. To make a comparison, take Vert, a fairly tall CPU. She would barely be able to meet just below the chest. To say that his size was intimidating for someone like Thomas would be understating it.

"You think the General will be able to fit in there?" Steamax asked of Neptune, as the two watched Affimojas get to his feet.

Adult Neptune grinned, seeming quite sure, "I think so! If not, we're gonna have to remove a few parts to shrink him down."

"No disassemble!" Affimojas exclaimed in a small panic, before recomposing himself, "Ahem. I mean, please do not take me apart. That will not be necessary."

Thomas quirked his eyebrows, looking over to Neptune, "What are you talking about? Do you know these guys?"

"Just need to do a bit of backtracking," Neptune said while answering the first question, "We should probably hurry over there. You two good to go?"

"Of course," Steamax said with a quick nod.

"Lead the way, Neptune," Affimojas said as he realized that he'll have to crouch and shrink himself a little just to get out the formerly locked door.

Thomas' other question was yet to be answered, much to his confusion.

* * *

Back into the main corridor, the group hurried down, following Neptune through a few of the empty passageways. They could hear the siren in the distance, as the robots were dealing with the rioting at the other side of the prison. That said, Neptune wasn't sure how much longer it would be before the robots turned back to look for them.

It also didn't help that Affimojas stuck out, jogging noisily behind, his feet clanking on the floor. Adult Neptune was probably relieved that she didn't have to go too far to find what she was looking for. After passing a few cells, Neptune slowed down between two cells, with what looked like a plain wall. In the midst of this section, however, was an old bust, presumably made in ancient times.

Thomas, keeping closer to Neptune, as he didn't want to get in the way of the large, jogging robot, grew more confused once they stopped by the old bust. The bust appeared to be one of an old man, though with age had decayed so much that it was hard to recognize precisely who. Thomas pondered a moment before asking, dryly, "Seriously? This thing opens up a secret passage?"

"First guess, right on the nose!" Neptune said happily, tapping her nose briefly, before going over to tease Thomas with a "Boop!" on the nose. Thomas looked incredulously at the amused Nep, who then went over to "Boop!" where the nose on the bust would be, holding it a little until she heard a click before the floor beneath them shook. Eventually, a small gap opened in the middle of the corridor, widening into an large opening.

The mechanism stopped, and Adult Neptune casually walked over to the edge, "Ladies first!" Immediately, Neptune jumped down with seemingly little regard for what was down below. Thomas rushed over towards the edge, looking down to see a platform not too far down where Neptune jumped. She moved to one side of the platform and looked up, "It's not a long drop. You'll be fine!"

Steamax gestured to Thomas, "You go ahead. We'll go in after."

Thomas blinked, "Uhhh, okay?" He glanced down, muttering, "Who came up with this crazy passageway?" Taking a deep breath, he lightly dropped down, not even bothering to jump, and landed on the platform down below.

The fall wasn't too bad, though the landing was a bit hard on the soles of his feet. Regardless, Neptune then waved him over, moving ahead. Realizing this was to give the two robots some space, Thomas walked towards Neptune, soon realizing where the platform was leading down into. Another sewer level? Greaaaaaaat.

Neptune clapped her hands, recalling something, "So yeah, this little secret passage was made by people who resisted the reign of the mad king wayyy back! They built this secretly under the king's nose and sometimes snuck out prisoners this way. Pretty nifty convenience, doncha think?"

Thomas sighed quietly, losing some of his patience with the chipper Neptune, "I... I guess?"

"I know, right?" Neptune grinned, "Now, many years in the future, we'll use this passage on our great quest to save the world! We'll be the best protags ever!"

"Slow down, Neptune," Thomas couldn't handle how quickly things were going.

Neptune actually looked surprised, or at least acted shocked, "Really, Speedy? **Now** you wanna slow down?" As they were talking, Steamax was talking to Affimojas in the background, encouraging him to jump down. Affimojas, for his part, seemed fine with jumping down, but wasn't sure if his body would fit in, even with Steamax telling him it was alright.

"I just want to know how you found this secret out? Oh, also, how do you know those two?" He gestured a thumb back in the direction of the two robots, "Did that voice on that communicator tell you the details?"

"Hmm? Oh, Steamax knew about this passage before," Neptune answered the first question, pausing as though she was done, before getting a glare from Thomas.

"Eheh, not gonna budge, huh?" Neptune said sheepishly, before answering the second question, "I used to be in their little club for a while."

Thomas paused briefly, his eyes glancing back as though he was reaching into his mind. "Little club?" He repeated what she said, not quite getting it, "You played board games with them on the weekends or something?"

Adult Neptune snorted, amused by the image she got from that, "Pfft! Naw. I mean their group, Affimax. I was an honorary member, or something like that."

"Affimax... ghk~!" Thomas flinched, recoiling at the realization, "You were one of the bad guys?"

"That's right!" Neptune said with a small wink and holding up a 'V' sign up to her head. It took her a moment to see Thomas' reaction before she, too, flinched, tapping her head, "Uh, well, not quite! See, I was kinda doing the double agent role, but I was with the good guys too! The plot had some complications!"

Thomas was not sure how to feel about that, at least initially. Neptune saw the conflicted look Thomas had and asked, curiously, "Didn't you know about all this? I mean, you said you were with Uzume, so I thought you would know a little bit more. Surprised she didn't even mention me."

"My knowledge on the last crisis was limited," Thomas admitted, taking a glance back to wonder idly what the two robots were doing. By now, Steamax had hopped down, nodding to the group as he moved closer to them, presumably now waiting for Affimojas to jump down. Was the big robot nervous? If so, his blustering about being "above going around some smelly sewers" didn't sound like he was. Could be wrong on that.

While that was happening, Thomas continued, "Honestly, during my time adventuring with the goddesses, I didn't really delve into what happened then. I didn't even know Uzume was a CPU when I first met her."

Neptune blinked, "Really? You don't know much at all? You know the two guys, though."

"It was a business opportunity for the cities of the Azure Coast," Thomas explained, "I actually wasn't going to do much beyond that. In fact, if not for there being pressured a little and hearing about an airship, I would not have gone at all." Thomas sighed softly, saying in a quieter tone, "I was pretty much done with everything. I wanted to be left alone."

Neptune was about to react to this quiet admission when, finally, after all this time, Affimojas jumped down, landing with a loud clang, and causing a tiny tremor, shaking the other three for a moment.

"See? The platform didn't break," Steamax said as he went over to a panel on the side, pressing a button to start up the mechanism closing the hole above. "You were concerned over nothing, General," Steamax continued.

Affimojas remained composed, "I was not concerned with my weight at all, Steamax. I am quite light for someone of my build. I was just... not too thrilled about going into a sewer."

Thomas muttered quietly. It was incomprehensible, but it sounded like he was in agreement.

"Oh, don't be like that," Neptune tried to cheer both of the grumpy people up, "Since this is a super secret, we should be able to get to where we need to go next and not face waves of robots."

"We still have to keep our guard up," Steamax added, "We may have to deal with monsters."

"Monsters?" Thomas frowned. Of course, it wouldn't be a sewer without some.

"Indeed," Steamax answered, "I apologize, but I won't be as effective without my weapons."

Affimojas crossed his arms, "I guess I will have to use my fists, if it comes down to it."

Neptune perked up, holding up her fists, "Don't you two worry! Leave the fighting to me and Tommy over here!"

Thomas blinked, "Wat."

"Very well," Affimojas said with a small 'nod', though it looked more like he just tilted down, "I shall rely on you two to provide protection. Do not disappoint."

"Alrighty!" Neptune said happily, "Keep your eyes on me and we'll get through this with very little effort!"

Thomas sweatdropped, as Neptune hopped down to the sewer proper, leading the other three through the long tunnels in what looked to be a labyrinthian area, with many entrances and exits along the way. He knew he was signing up for danger when he came along, but that didn't make him feel any better about it.

* * *

Thomas was also feeling a little conflicted by the new information, hanging around the back while Neptune took the vanguard. This Neptune was involved with the bad guys during Uzume's revival? What could have happened during that time? Thomas grimaced, looking downcast before shaking his head of it. It didn't matter right now.

Yet, it bothered him, to think that Neptune would have done so. No, this was not the Neptune he knew. The one that he grew to respect despite her lazy tendencies wouldn't have aligned with Affimax... would she? This Neptune said she was a double agent. All it did was confuse him further.

His thoughts were interrupted by Steamax, who slowed down a bit in his pace to walk beside him. "Sir Thomas, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Thomas looked at the tall robot, tilting his head, "Uh, sure. Something on your mind?"

"I... I couldn't help but overhearing your conversation with Miss Neptune," Steamax noted.

Thomas hummed softly, "Oh? You heard us while you were talking to the big guy?"

"As a ninja, it is natural for me to eavesdrop on conversations even while doing other tasks," Steamax remarked, before realizing what he just said, "Not that I was planning to eavesdrop or anything!"

Thomas quirked his eyebrow at this, "It's alright. So, what piqued your interest?"

Steamax thought a moment, before saying, "You mentioned divine intervention. I assume the CPUs were involved in rescuing you?"

Thomas nodded, though he wasn't sure exactly how he was saved. Plus, he didn't want to delve too much right now into which goddess actually saved him. Explaining that a CPU's spirit went out of its way to save him would be a bit much presently.

"I, I am relieved to see that you are alive," Steamax said. He then asked, "Speaking of the CPUs, did I hear right that you were with them?"

"I was," Thomas answered, "Another long story, but suffice to say, all the other CPUs outside of Leanbox have united against these enemies. We even found a way to break the barriers. I was recently captured, though, so I can't be sure how they are now."

"That's good to hear, about the CPUs I mean," Steamax seemed even more relieved, "I was worried about how the others were doing, even as the General and I were thrown into captivity. Tell me, from what you did see, how were the CPUs? And the Candidates?"

"We had everyone except for Lady Green Heart," Thomas said, all while quietly pondering about Vert's whereabouts. Continuing, he spoke, "That included the Candidates as well. They were all very helpful during the journey."

Another voice piped in, that of Affimojas, "Go on and ask him already."

"G-General, were you listening in?" Steamax's voice turned a little nervous.

"You weren't exactly quiet back there," Neptune said, glancing back before leading the three through a new tunnel.

Affimojas chuckled briefly, "Hmm, pardon me for interjecting, Sir Thomas. I was simply encouraging Steamax over here."

"Is that so?" Thomas raised his eyebrows, interest growing in what this was all about. His didn't pick up on Steamax being a little nervous just now.

"Th-that was not needed, General! I am perfectly capable of asking simple questions!" Steamax complained.

Affimojas seemed to take amusement in this, "Of course. I was merely offering my support."

"Tee hee~!" Adult Neptune said lightly, apparently in on the teasing.

"You too, Miss Neptune?" Steamax said, clearly agitated by now.

Thomas smiled wryly, unsure but nonetheless willing to push ahead, "Go on, Steamax. Ask your question. Whatever it is, I promise I won't laugh."

"V-very well," Steamax relented, though there was a definite pause between then and when he would speak up next. Although robots didn't need to breathe, he certainly acted like he was breathing in and out, attempting to calm himself. "I-It's about Lady Uni, the Candidate from Lastation. H-how is she?"

Thomas waited, before eventually speaking, "That's it? That's the question?"

Steamax made a small noise. You could just hear that ellipsis, as he was speechless.

Thomas shrugged, "No matter. If you must know, she seemed to be in good spirits. She's pleased to have a new firing range made, and she was vital in our efforts to save Lastation. She came up with the strategy to take out a giant Land Carrier, and even brought out a prototype tank she designed for the battle."

"She did all that?" Steamax sounded surprised at what Thomas did sum up, "Remarkable, as one would expect out of Lady Uni."

Thomas smiled, seeming happy to tell someone about it, "Exactly. The goddesses are truly remarkable to be able to do things like that! That tank prototype in particularly looked pretty impressive, at least from the little bit I did see. Taking on an entire robot armada, even with that, takes a lot of courage."

Steamax grew more impressed by what he heard, "Really? I am sort of jealous that I wasn't there to see it."

Thomas nodded, before stopping to rub the back of his neck, "Sooo, yeah, that's how she has been doing. Any particular reason you wanted to know?"

"N-n-no big reason!" Steamax said hesitantly, even as he heard snickering from the others, "I... I was fairly acquainted with Lady Uni during the last crisis. I was simply curious!"

Thomas hummed softly, though as he continued to hear the snickering from up front, he was a little suspicious.

"'Fairly acquainted', hehehe," Neptune tittered. Affimojas was a bit more subdued, but was clearly amused.

Thomas blinked, looking between the two, before looking again at the nervous robot ninja. His smile widened a little, and he said quietly, "I understand. We all have people we greatly admire." He wasn't going to think too much into what Steamax's actual feelings were, but he could surmise that Steamax held Uni in such high regard.

Steamax whined slightly, feeling a little embarrassed, "Th-th-thank you, sir."

Affimojas, though amused, remembered something, "Miss Neptune, speaking of the goddesses, I must ask, have you heard anything about Leanbox's own CPU?"

Neptune's smile faded after Affimojas' question, recalling, "Ah... yes. Miss B-... Vert. I was captured pretty early on, jumped suddenly. Anyway, Vert busted me out with help from the underground resistance. But, on the way out, we were attacked by a pretty big wave of robo-baddies. Our group of escapees were going to be overwhelmed, but Vert stood her ground, urging us to go into the underground tunnel to escape. I went with the group, but Vert, she collapsed the tunnels behind us. I haven't heard from her since."

Affimojas sounded solemn, "I am sorry to hear that. Lady Vert, she... do you think she's still alive?"

Adult Neptune took offense, "Of course she is! If anything bad did happen, she was probably captured. I owe her a rescuing, after all!"

"Maybe if you hurried up and get me out of here, you would find out where she is."

Although the voice was muffled, the group could hear the voice on the communicator in Neptune's deep pockets. She pullet it out, responding, "Oh, hey, welcome back. How long have you been listening?"

"I've always been listening," the communicator answered, "I was kinda bored, being stuck here and all. Wasn't in the mood for chatting."

"Does that mean you know where Lady Green Heart is?" Thomas quickly asked, sounding somewhat hopeful.

"Nope, haven't found her yet," the voice said casually, "Been using my literal connections to look all over Leanbox. Haven't seen sign of her. For a big girl, she's awfully good at hiding. Are you sure she's alive?"

"Don't joke like that!" Neptune exclaimed, "I refuse to believe she sacrificed herself!" It was clear she was upset by the possibility.

"Alright, alright, don't get your d-pads all twisted," the voice relented, "I'll keep looking. Speaking of which, the robots seem to have lost track of you and your allies. Good. Now, as for that rescue..."

Steamax spoke up, turning his head about, "I recognize that we're not taking a route away from the prison. In fact, we're getting closer to the Basilicom?"

"Close, but not quite," Neptune stated, "I'm sorry to drag you two into this, but I'm gonna need your help in the next part of this mission."

Affimojas hummed, "I would have preferred to leave, but if there is any way I can repay you for this, I suppose I shall assist."

"Since the General is offering, than count me in as well," Steamax stated, "As his loyal ninja and friend, I will do what I can."

"Aww, how sweet of you two. Please stop before the sugar overwhelms me," the voice said with a sigh.

"Is that how you would act towards those who come to rescue you?" Affimojas snarled, "You must be a weak and pitiful creature."

"Whatever, sunshine, I haven't been saved **yet,"** the voice said dismissively, "Anyway, I don't feel like chatting anymore, so I'll leave you now. Talk to you later!" With that, just as quickly as he interrupted, the voice left the conversation with an audible click.

Affimojas scoffed, "Of all the impudence! Miss Neptune, is it really necessary to go out of our way for this ungrateful boob?"

"It's alright," Neptune shook her head, "Besides, we kinda owe the guy. If not for his help, the underground resistance wouldn't know where any of us were when we were captured."

"Yeah, his manners aside, he's helped out so far," Thomas added, "I do hope you have a plan for this, Neptune."

"Oh yeah, don't you worry about that, Tommy," Neptune smiled at him to reassure, though the tone suggested she may be fibbing, "Just leave it to Nep!"

Steamax quietly muttered, "General?"

"I know, Steamax. I know," Affimojas slumped his shoulders as the two sighed. Thomas, meanwhile, was just puzzled. Was this Neptune truly trustworthy?

* * *

It wasn't all clear down in the sewers, as Neptune and Thomas found themselves in battle a few times during their trek, usually against a few rats here and there. The two robots did help out on occasion, as Steamax tried a couple of kicks and punches he learned from reading manga. Or during his ninja training. Whichever. He also surprised Thomas when he used his own magic skills, or 'ninja arts', which included a windy cyclone he used at one point to toss some of the enemies.

Affimojas, for his part, stayed behind, grumbling about the icky sewer water he was stepping in. Being a pretty big target, however, there were a couple of times when the rats would try and jump him with a little mob, biting along his metal ankles and back.

"Cursed mobs, attacking all at once! I am not a fulfilling dinner or snack! Augh! Out with you pests!" Affimojas shouted, wriggling about, trying to shake off the clingy rats.

Thomas couldn't get close, given he was concerned Affimojas' flailing would hit him instead. Seeing that Thomas was struggling, Steamax held out an arm across his path, "Leave this to me."

Thomas stopped, watching Steamax move ahead and trying to calm his friend down. "General! You need to stay composed so I can help you get rid of these ankle-biters."

"Easy for you to say, Steamax!" Affimojas growled in his complaining, shaking all about and doing the hokey-pokey, "You get to blend in and be ignored. These critters prefer to take **me** on! Not to mention their stench is putrid and their nibbling feels gross!"

Steamax still tried to calm Affimojas down, as Thomas looked on with bemusement. The rats were not too much of a problem to deal with, in spite of their stench, at least.

As most of the rats in the last battle scurried away, Steamax tried to get rid of the last few bugging Affimojas, swatting at them in between avoiding the General's flailing arms. Meanwhile, Adult Neptune casually walked beside Thomas. Once she stopped to watch, Thomas turned his head towards her, and jutted a thumb at the two robots, "You said you worked with these two?"

"It was a weird plot, honestly," Adult Neptune answered.

And so, we end this chapter with a very important message: Always check your robots for rats. Those things are quite sneaky. Anyway, tune in next time when, hopefully, something more exciting happens. Like maybe a game of checkers.


End file.
